Six Days After the 13th... 25 Fewer Cases Than the Previous Day
Over 300 Cases Reported in the Seoul Metropolitan Area
[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As the domestic COVID-19 situation eases, the number of new confirmed cases fell to the high 400s on the 19th. This is the first time in six days since the 13th that the number of confirmed cases has been in the 400s. However, since 77.6% of confirmed cases occurred only in the Seoul metropolitan area and sporadic cluster infections are occurring, it is too early to be relieved.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the 19th, there were 482 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 150,720. Of these, 456 were locally transmitted cases and 26 were imported cases. This is 25 fewer than the previous day (507 cases).
The number of new confirmed cases over the past week from the 13th to the 19th were 452 → 399 → 373 → 545 → 540 → 507 → 482, respectively. During this period, the number of cases was in the 500s three times, and in the 300s and 400s twice each.
With an average of about 471 cases per day over the week, the key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, the daily average of locally transmitted cases, is about 444, which still falls within level 2.5 (nationwide 400?500 or more cases, etc.).
Only in the Seoul metropolitan area, there were cases in the 300s. Seoul had 193 cases, Gyeonggi 141, and Incheon 20, totaling 354 cases (77.6%) in the metropolitan area. Non-metropolitan areas reported a total of 102 cases (22.4%), including Busan 15, Daegu 13, Chungnam 12, Chungbuk and Gyeongnam 10 each, Jeju 7, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gangwon, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam 5 each, Gwangju and Gyeongbuk 4 each, and Sejong 2.
Major new cluster infection cases include indoor sports facilities in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, and a restaurant in Gangbuk-gu (cumulative 17 cases), a church in Ansan-si, Gyeonggi (17 cases), a daycare center in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi (10 cases), and a private academy in Jincheon-gun, Chungbuk (8 cases). Additionally, two people who attended the nationwide delivery workers' union rally held in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 15th and 16th tested positive, and testing is currently underway for about 900 rally participants and police officers deployed at the site.
The number of deaths increased by one from the previous day, reaching a total of 1,997. The domestic average fatality rate is 1.32%. The number of critically ill patients is 151, two more than the previous day (149).
The number of tests conducted at screening clinics on the previous day was 29,106, which is 7,106 fewer than the 36,212 tests conducted the day before. The positivity rate, calculated by confirmed cases relative to the number of tests, slightly increased to 1.66% from 1.40% the previous day. The cumulative positivity rate as of midnight on the day is 1.46%.
Meanwhile, the government plans to announce the revised 'social distancing' plan to be applied from next month on the 20th. The previously disclosed draft revision aims to reduce the current five-step social distancing system (levels 1 → 1.5 → 2 → 2.5 → 3) to four levels (1 to 4), minimize business closures (gathering bans) of multi-use facilities, and vary the size of private gatherings by level.
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