4006 New COVID-19 Cases by 9 PM... Likely Under 5000 on the 5th (Update)

Citizens waiting to be tested at the screening clinic set up at Gangseo-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On Saturday the 4th, more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide until late afternoon.

According to the quarantine authorities and local governments, from midnight to 9 p.m. on that day, a total of 4,006 confirmed COVID-19 cases were recorded across 17 cities and provinces nationwide. This is 221 fewer than the previous day's 4,227 cases, which was the highest number recorded during the same time period.

Since there is still time until midnight when the count is finalized, the number of new confirmed cases announced at 0 a.m. on the 5th is expected to increase further, reaching the mid-4,000s. On the previous day, 1,125 additional cases were reported after 9 p.m., bringing the final total to 5,352, the highest since the domestic COVID-19 outbreak began. However, since the number of tests usually decreases during weekends and holidays, the increase in cases during the remaining hours is expected to be smaller than that.

Among the new confirmed cases, 2,854 (71.2%) were from the Seoul metropolitan area, and 1,152 (28.8%) were from non-metropolitan areas. By city and province, the cases were as follows: Seoul 1,776, Gyeonggi 741, Incheon 337, Busan 205, Chungnam 154, Daegu 117, Gangwon 108, Daejeon 106, Gyeongnam 101, Gyeongbuk 99, Chungbuk 70, Jeonbuk 56, Jeonnam 47, Gwangju 40, Jeju 17, Ulsan and Sejong 16 each, with confirmed cases reported in all 17 cities and provinces.