12,565,269 First Dose Recipients... "Likely to Surpass 13 Million as Early as Today"
[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea remained in the 300s for the second consecutive day.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 15th at midnight that 374 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed domestically, bringing the total to 148,647.
Of these, 347 cases were locally transmitted, and 27 were imported from overseas.
By region, Seoul reported 128 cases, Gyeonggi 118, and Incheon 11, totaling 257 cases in the metropolitan area.
In non-metropolitan areas, cases were reported as follows: Daegu 16, Daejeon and Chungbuk 14, Sejong 7, Busan, Chungnam, and Jeju 6, Ulsan and Jeonbuk 4, Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam 3, Gangwon and Gyeongbuk 2, with confirmed cases nationwide.
Among the 27 imported cases, 9 were detected during quarantine, and the remaining 18 were identified within the local community. Fourteen were Korean nationals, and 13 were foreigners.
The number of critically ill patients stands at 158. Four additional deaths were reported the previous day, bringing the total death toll to 1,992, with a fatality rate of 1.34%.
The number of newly released from isolation increased by 711, totaling 139,733.
The number of suspected cases tested was 30,973. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 33,673 tests were conducted, resulting in 45 confirmed cases. In non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, 3,023 tests were conducted, identifying 1 confirmed case. The total number of tests conducted was 67,669.
According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 988,178 people received COVID-19 vaccinations the previous day.
There were 731,735 new first-dose vaccinations, bringing the total number of people who have received the first dose to 12,565,269. The first-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 24.5%.
There were 256,443 new second-dose vaccinations, with a total of 3,262,733 people having completed the vaccination. The completion rate relative to the population is 6.4%.
Kwon Deok-cheol, 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), stated, "As of midnight today, the number of people who have received the first dose is over 12.56 million," adding, "24.5% of the entire population has received the first dose."
Deputy Head Kwon emphasized, "It is expected that the number of people who have received the first dose will exceed 13 million either today or by tomorrow at the latest," and added, "This was originally a goal set for the end of June, but the timeline has been advanced by about two weeks."
He said, "This meaningful result is created by the wishes of the people to protect themselves, their families, and everyone from COVID-19 and to restore daily life as soon as possible," and urged, "Those scheduled for vaccination are requested to receive their shots on the reserved dates."
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