COVID-19 New Cases Back to 300s After 6 Days... Vaccination Rate Nears 30% (Comprehensive)

Medical staff are collecting samples from citizens at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza on the 20th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has dropped back to the 300s after six days. The number of people who have completed the first dose of vaccination reached 15.01 million, raising the vaccination rate to 29.2% of the population.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 21st at midnight that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases increased by 357 from the previous day to 151,506. The sources of infection for the new cases were 317 local transmissions and 40 imported cases.

Among the locally transmitted cases, 7 out of 10 occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. There were 127 cases in Seoul (40.1%), 88 in Gyeonggi Province (27.8%), and 7 in Incheon (2.2%), totaling 222 cases in the metropolitan area.

Other regions reported the following cases: 16 in Daegu, 14 in Daejeon, 11 in Busan, 11 in Chungnam, 10 in Jeonnam, 10 in Gyeongnam, 7 in Incheon, 7 in Gangwon, 6 in Gyeongbuk, 3 in Jeonbuk, 2 in Sejong, 2 in Chungbuk, 2 in Jeju, and 1 in Gwangju. Ulsan reported no new cases.

There were 40 imported cases, with 12 detected during quarantine and 28 confirmed in the community. Among them, 27 were Korean nationals and 13 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 23,181, significantly reduced due to the "weekend effect." At temporary screening clinics in the metropolitan area, 11,497 tests were conducted, confirming 47 new cases, while 1,271 tests were conducted at non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, confirming 4 cases.

The number of patients who have recovered and been released from isolation increased by 369 to 143,268. Among hospitalized patients, the number of critically ill patients decreased by 9 to 137. The death toll rose by 2 to 2,004.

On the 16th, police forces are assisting with vaccinations at the COVID-19 vaccination center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 505 people received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 15,014,819. Among them, 10,373,174 received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, 3,525,781 received the Pfizer vaccine, and 1,115,864 received the Janssen vaccine. The vaccination rate relative to the population is 29.2%.

The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 1,038 from the previous day to 4,047,846. The population vaccination rate for the second dose is 7.9%. An additional 714 people received the Pfizer vaccine, bringing the total number of completed vaccinations to 2,107,331. There were no additional completions for the AZ vaccine, and since the Janssen vaccine was developed as a single-dose vaccine, all first-dose recipients are considered fully vaccinated.

Reports of suspected adverse reactions following vaccination increased by 3,280 over two days, totaling 67,276 cases. Among these, 2,553 were related to the AZ vaccine, 271 to Pfizer, and 427 to Janssen. The cumulative reporting rates of adverse reactions are 0.46% for AZ, 0.22% for Pfizer, and 0.33% for Janssen.

Among the newly reported cases, common post-vaccination symptoms such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea accounted for 3,172 cases, making up the majority.

Serious adverse reactions included 3 suspected cases of anaphylaxis and 97 additional reports of major neurological and other serious reactions. There were 8 reported deaths following vaccination. Of the 8 deceased, 5 had received the AZ vaccine and 3 had received the Pfizer vaccine.