1592 New COVID-19 Cases Nationwide by 9 PM... 1700s Expected Tomorrow

On the 29th, as the COVID-19 outbreak shows no signs of subsiding, medical staff are cooling off in front of a portable air conditioner at the temporary screening clinic in Tapgol Park, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] From midnight to 6 p.m. on the 29th, the number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide was tentatively counted at 1,592 over 18 hours. This is 78 more than the 1,514 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

As of this day, the regions with confirmed cases are 1,111 (69.8%) in the Seoul metropolitan area and 481 (30.2%) in non-metropolitan areas. By city and province, there were 510 in Gyeonggi, 484 in Seoul, 117 in Incheon, 72 in Busan, 70 in Gyeongnam, 64 in Daejeon, 57 in Daegu, 37 each in Gyeongbuk and Chungnam, 31 in Chungbuk, 25 in Gwangju, 19 each in Jeonbuk and Jeju, 17 in Ulsan, 16 in Jeonnam, 15 in Gangwon, and 2 in Sejong. Confirmed cases were reported in all 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

Since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced as of 0:00 on the 30th is expected to increase further to the 1,700 range, possibly approaching 1,800. The previous day saw an increase of 160 cases after 9 p.m., closing at a final count of 1,674.

The daily number of confirmed cases has remained in the four-digit range for 23 consecutive days from the 7th (1,212 cases) to this day, and it will be the 24th day on the 30th. Looking at the new confirmed cases in the most recent week of this month (July 23?29), the daily counts were 1,630 → 1,629 → 1,487 → 1,318 → 1,365 → 1,895 (corrected from the initial 1,896) → 1,674, fluctuating between 1,300 and 1,800 cases.

Regarding major cases, 11 additional cases were identified during contact tracing at an indoor sports facility in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, bringing the total to 37. At another indoor sports facility in Gwanak-gu, a total of 16 people tested positive since the 16th. At a food company in Yangju-si, Gyeonggi, one foreign employee was confirmed positive on the 27th, followed by a mass confirmation of 39 cases on this day, bringing the cumulative total to 40. Related to a shamanistic faith in northern Gyeonggi, 22 people have been confirmed positive and are undergoing treatment from the 23rd to the previous day. Additional confirmed cases were also reported at a Taekwondo gym in Seo-gu, Daejeon (cumulative 229), a company in Yeosu-si, Jeonnam (95), and a bathhouse in Dongnae-gu, Busan (third case, 94).