As of 9 PM, 1,256 Confirmed Cases Nationwide... Around 1,300 Expected on the 21st

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] As the spread of COVID-19 slows down, the number of confirmed cases nationwide was recorded in the high 1200s as of 9 PM on the 20th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the quarantine authorities and local governments including Seoul City, a total of 1,256 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide from midnight to 9 PM on the same day.

This is 245 fewer than the 1,501 cases recorded at the same time the previous day, and 576 fewer than the 1,832 cases reported on Wednesday the 13th, a week ago.

Looking at the regions where confirmed cases were reported on this day, the metropolitan area accounted for 987 cases (78.6%), and non-metropolitan areas accounted for 269 cases (21.4%).

By city and province, Seoul reported 491 cases, Gyeonggi 391, Incheon 105, Chungbuk 52, Gyeongbuk 35, Chungnam 31, Gangwon 30, Busan and Daegu 26 each, Gyeongnam 17, Gwangju 15, Jeonnam 12, Jeonbuk 10, Daejeon 8, Jeju 6, and Ulsan 1. Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Sejong has not yet reported any confirmed cases.

Since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced as of 0:00 on the 21st is expected to increase further, reaching around 1,300.

The previous day, 70 more cases were added after 9 PM, closing at a final count of 1,571.

The fourth domestic wave of COVID-19, which began in early July, has continued for over three months.

The daily number of confirmed cases has recorded four digits for 106 consecutive days since July 7 (1,211 cases).

Looking at the new confirmed cases reported over the past week from the 14th to this day, the daily counts were 1,939 → 1,683 → 1,617 → 1,420 → 1,050 → 1,073 → 1,571, averaging about 1,460 cases per day.

Among these, the average daily number of locally transmitted cases excluding imported cases was 1,462.

Major infection cases include cluster infections continuing in everyday places such as university hospitals, churches, and markets.

At a university hospital in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, since the first confirmed case on the 10th, 10 additional people tested positive, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 11, including caregivers, patients, and staff.

At a middle school in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk, 42 additional cases were identified during contact tracing, raising the cumulative confirmed cases to 61, and on a fishing boat in Wando-gun, Jeonnam, 8 confirmed cases have been reported since the 18th.