Kwon Deok-cheol "Strengthening Surveillance and Analysis of Variant Viruses"
[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The number of new domestic COVID-19 cases in South Korea remained in the 300s for the second consecutive day.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 22nd at midnight that 395 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed domestically, bringing the total to 151,901.
Of these, 351 cases were domestic transmissions, and 44 were imported cases.
By region, the Seoul metropolitan area accounted for 233 cases, with 126 in Seoul, 92 in Gyeonggi, and 15 in Incheon.
In non-metropolitan areas, cases were reported as follows: 30 in Daejeon, 16 in Chungbuk, 11 each in Chungnam and Gyeongnam, 10 each in Gangwon and Gyeongbuk, 6 each in Busan, Sejong, and Jeonnam, 4 in Ulsan, 3 in Daegu, 2 each in Gwangju and Jeonbuk, and 1 in Jeju.
Among the 44 imported cases, 29 were detected during quarantine, and the remaining 15 were identified in the community. Of these, 31 were Korean nationals and 13 were foreigners.
The number of critically ill patients stands at 135. There were 2 additional deaths the previous day, bringing the total death toll to 2,006, with a fatality rate of 1.32%.
The number of newly released from isolation increased by 549, totaling 143,817.
The number of suspected cases tested was 33,996. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 32,479 tests were conducted, resulting in 30 confirmed cases. In non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, 2,428 tests were conducted, identifying 2 confirmed cases. The total number of tests conducted was 68,903.
According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 136,684 people received COVID-19 vaccinations the previous day.
There were 20,231 new first-dose vaccinations, bringing the total number of people who have received the first dose to 15,039,998. The first-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 29.3%.
There were 116,453 new second-dose vaccinations, with a total of 4,167,533 people having completed the vaccination. The completion rate relative to the population is 8.1%.
Kwon Deok-cheol, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), stated, "The COVID-19 variant virus is a serious threat to quarantine efforts," adding, "Even countries with the highest vaccination rates are now seeing warning signs of renewed infection spread due to the high transmissibility of the variant virus."
Deputy Head Kwon emphasized, "Through standardization of variant analysis methods, local governments can now conduct variant testing, and we will continue to strengthen surveillance and analysis of variants. We will also maintain enhanced quarantine measures, including facility quarantine for arrivals from high-risk countries, and devote all efforts to blocking the spread of variants."
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