299 Confirmed Cases in Seoul by 9 PM... 103 More Than a Week Ago

On the 5th, the COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Seoul was crowded with citizens seeking testing, as the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded in the 700s for three consecutive days. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Seoul was provisionally counted at 299 from midnight to 9 p.m. on Monday, the 5th. Among them, 7 cases were imported from overseas, and 292 were domestic transmissions.

Although there are 3 hours left until the daily count closes, the provisional count for 21 hours has already surpassed the previous highest Monday record this year, which was 205 cases on the 28th of last month. Compared to the same time frame, it is 1 case fewer than the 300 cases on the previous day (the 4th) and 103 cases more than the 196 cases on Monday, June 28th last week. The total number of confirmed cases for the previous day was 307.

However, it is expected that this will not reach Seoul's all-time highest daily record since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak early last year (552 cases on December 24th last year) or the highest Monday record (522 cases on December 28th last year).

The daily number of confirmed cases in Seoul surged to over 300 every day at the end of last year but gradually decreased this year. From mid-January to early April this year, the daily cases mostly stayed in the 100s but started to increase again. Since the end of last month, the numbers have risen to levels comparable to those at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.

In the recent week (June 28th to July 4th), the daily cases were 205 → 375 → 333 → 346 → 359 → 289 → 307, averaging 316 cases per day. The highest daily number of confirmed cases this year was 375 on June 29th.

As of 9 p.m. on the 5th, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Seoul was provisionally counted at 51,920. The total number of confirmed cases for the day will be finalized and announced in the morning based on the count at midnight on the 6th.