COVID-19 New Cases Still Near 5,000... 736 Severe and Critical Patients

On the afternoon of the 2nd, people waiting in line for their turn to be tested at the screening clinic of Michuhol-gu Public Health Center in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. Incheon City extended the operation hours of the screening clinic until 9 PM on this day due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] On the 3rd, the number of new COVID-19 cases was 4,944, slightly down from the previous day but still close to the 5,000 mark. The number of critically ill patients hospitalized also reached a new daily high at 736.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country increased by 4,944 from the previous day to 462,555. Of these, 4,923 were domestic cases and 21 were imported. The weekly average of new domestic cases also showed a steep rise at 4,208.6.

By region, the Seoul metropolitan area accounted for 3,864 cases, or 78.5%, with Seoul at 2,094, Incheon at 306, and Gyeonggi at 1,464 cases.

Non-metropolitan cases totaled 1,059, including ▲Busan 141 ▲Daegu 99 ▲Gwangju 45 ▲Daejeon 97 ▲Ulsan 19 ▲Sejong 7 ▲Gangwon 98 ▲Chungbuk 97 ▲Chungnam 155 ▲Jeonbuk 66 ▲Jeonnam 34 ▲Gyeongbuk 82 ▲Gyeongnam 99 ▲Jeju 20.

Among the 21 imported cases, 11 were detected during quarantine and 10 were confirmed in the local community.

The number of critically ill patients hospitalized rose by 3 from the previous day to 736, setting another record high. Deaths increased by 34, bringing the total cumulative deaths to 3,739. The resulting 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, 916 out of 1,157 ICU beds nationwide (79.2%) were in use. In particular, the Seoul metropolitan area had an occupancy rate of 89.9% in Seoul, 91.1% in Incheon, and 85.2% in Gyeonggi, with 629 out of 714 beds (88.1%) occupied. Considering the preparation time needed for patient admission and discharge, the beds are effectively 'fully occupied.'

Critically ill patients from the Seoul metropolitan area are being transferred to nearby regions such as Chungcheong and Gangwon, but Sejong's beds are fully occupied, and Chungbuk at 96.9%, Chungnam at 86.8%, and Daejeon at 82.1% also have nearly full occupancy.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 22,505 people received their first dose the previous day, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 42,618,296. The first-dose vaccination rate among the population is 83.0%, with 93.6% of those aged 18 and over having received their first dose. The number of people who completed vaccination the previous day was 60,388, totaling 41,192,348 fully vaccinated individuals. The full vaccination rate is 80.2% of the population and 91.6% among those aged 18 and over.

The number of newly administered booster doses was 179,831, with a total of 3,570,414 having received booster shots. The booster vaccination rate is 7.0% of the population and 8.1% among those aged 18 and over.