Seoul 358 - Gyeonggi 255 - Incheon 61, Total 674 Cases in the Seoul Metropolitan Area
On the 12th, as the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded 1,100, maintaining the thousand-level for consecutive days, citizens lined up at the screening clinic set up at Dongjak-gu Public Health Center in Seoul to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, a total of 903 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed nationwide from midnight to 6 p.m. on the 12th. This is 18 fewer than the 921 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.
The decrease in testing over the weekend and holidays continued through this day, resulting in a slightly lower number of confirmed cases in the mid-day tally compared to weekdays last week. Of the new cases reported after midnight, 674 (74.6%) were from the Seoul metropolitan area, and 229 (25.4%) were from non-metropolitan areas.
By city and province, the cases were as follows: Seoul 358, Gyeonggi 255, Incheon 61, Busan 45, Daegu 37, Chungnam 29, Gyeongnam 28, Gangwon 15, Daejeon, Jeonbuk, and Jeju each 13, Gwangju and Jeonnam each 9, Gyeongbuk 8, Chungbuk 6, Sejong 3, and Ulsan 1, with confirmed cases reported in all 17 cities and provinces nationwide.
Since there is still time left until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced at midnight on the 13th is expected to increase to around 1,100 at minimum. On the previous day, 179 additional cases were reported after 6 p.m., bringing the final total to 1,100.
The '4th wave' of infections, which began in earnest this month, is spreading rapidly every day. From the 6th to the 12th, the daily new confirmed cases were 746 → 1,212 → 1,275 → 1,316 → 1,378 → 1,324 → 1,100, with over 1,000 cases reported daily for the past six days. The current trend suggests that four-digit daily case numbers will continue for a full week.
The weekly average daily cases in the Seoul metropolitan area are about 895 (Stage 3, over 500), with Seoul itself averaging about 476 cases, exceeding the Stage 4 threshold (389 or more) for four consecutive days. Accordingly, from this day until the 25th, the highest level of the new 'social distancing' system, Stage 4, will be implemented in the metropolitan area for two weeks.
Regarding major cluster infection cases, the cumulative confirmed cases related to the Hyundai Department Store Trade Center branch in Seoul (Gangnam-gu workplace 23rd case) have increased to 120. At a restaurant in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul (3rd case), 12 additional cases were confirmed during contact tracing, bringing the total to 65. In new cluster infection cases spanning a day and night care center in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, and a music club in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi, 32 cases were confirmed. From the acquaintance gathering in Gwangju and Jeonnam and the seaweed processing industry in Wando-gun, Jeonnam, 22 cases were confirmed since the 9th. At a high school in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, six people, including five students and one staff member, tested positive after the 10th.
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