COVID-19 New Cases 5,266 'Record High'... Over 5,000 for Two Consecutive Days

On the morning of the 1st, medical staff are conducting tests at the COVID-19 screening clinic at Songpa Health Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] On the 2nd, the number of new COVID-19 cases reached 5,266, setting a new record for the second consecutive day with over 5,000 cases. The number of critically ill patients hospitalized also reached a new daily high of 733.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country increased by 5,266 from the previous day to 457,612. There were 5,242 domestic cases and 24 imported cases. The weekly average of new locally transmitted cases also exceeded 4,000 for the first time, reaching 4,059.6.

By region, Seoul reported 2,262 cases, Incheon 354, and Gyeonggi 1,490, with the metropolitan area accounting for 4,106 cases, representing 78.3% of the total.

The number of cases outside the metropolitan area totaled 1,136. This is the first time that locally transmitted cases outside the metropolitan area have exceeded 1,000. The breakdown is as follows: ▲Busan 157 ▲Daegu 69 ▲Gwangju 39 ▲Daejeon 166 ▲Ulsan 18 ▲Sejong 8 ▲Gangwon 142 ▲Chungbuk 49 ▲Chungnam 149 ▲Jeonbuk 71 ▲Jeonnam 37 ▲Gyeongbuk 106 ▲Gyeongnam 94 ▲Jeju 31.

Among the 24 imported cases, 5 were detected during quarantine, and 19 were confirmed in the local community.

Medical staff are busy moving around in a COVID-19 dedicated hospital in the Seoul metropolitan area.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The number of critically ill patients hospitalized increased by 10 from the previous day to 733, setting another new record. The death toll also rose by 47, bringing the total cumulative deaths to 3,705. The fatality rate stands at 0.81%.

The intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy rate remains at a critical level. As of 5 p.m. the previous day, 913 out of 1,154 ICU beds nationwide (79.1%) were in use. In particular, the metropolitan area shows occupancy rates of 90.1% in Seoul, 88.6% in Incheon, and 85.5% in Gyeonggi, with 629 out of 714 beds (88.1%) occupied. Considering the preparation work needed for patient admission and discharge, the beds are effectively 'fully occupied.'

Although critically ill patients from the metropolitan area are being transferred to nearby regions such as Chungcheong and Gangwon, Daejeon and Sejong have all their beds full with 25 and 6 beds respectively, and Chungbuk and Chungnam also have occupancy rates of 96.9% and 89.5%, indicating that beds in these areas are nearly fully occupied as well.

After the government announced the mandatory home treatment policy, the number of patients waiting for bed allocation, which had been decreasing for two consecutive days, has started to rise again amid the surge in confirmed cases. As of midnight, the number of patients waiting for bed allocation was 915, up from 842 the previous day.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 23,652 people received their first dose yesterday, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 42,593,798. The vaccination rate for the first dose is 82.9% of the population, with 93.5% of those aged 18 and over having received their first dose. The number of people who completed vaccination yesterday was 65,436, bringing the total to 41,129,620. The vaccination completion rate is 80.1% of the population and 91.5% among those aged 18 and over.

The number of newly administered booster shots was 159,424, with a total of 3,385,821 people having received booster doses. The booster vaccination rate is 6.6% of the population and 7.7% among those aged 18 and over.