COVID-19 Cases Over 7,000 for Three Consecutive Days... Persistent Spread

On the 16th, when 7,622 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens are undergoing diagnostic tests at a temporary COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Peace Plaza in Sangam World Cup Park, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases has continued to spread, recording over 7,000 cases for three consecutive days.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 17th at midnight that the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 7,435 to a total of 551,551. Of these, 7,400 were domestic cases and 35 were imported. The weekly average of locally transmitted cases is 6,819, marking 38 consecutive days of increase.

By region, the metropolitan area accounted for 5,549 cases, representing 75.0% of all locally transmitted cases. This includes ▲Seoul 2,837 ▲Incheon 565 ▲Gyeonggi 2,147. Non-metropolitan areas reported ▲Busan 388 ▲Daegu 158 ▲Gwangju 42 ▲Daejeon 162 ▲Ulsan 57 ▲Sejong 25 ▲Gangwon 134 ▲Chungbuk 128 ▲Chungnam 203 ▲Jeonbuk 122 ▲Jeonnam 58 ▲Gyeongbuk 168 ▲Gyeongnam 171 ▲Jeju 35 cases.

Among the 35 imported cases, 27 were detected during quarantine, and 8 were confirmed within the community.

The number of confirmed cases infected with the Omicron variant increased by 3 from the previous day, totaling 151. Two of these were imported cases, arriving from the United States and Namibia respectively. One case was infected domestically.

On the 16th, medical staff are caring for a patient in the intensive care unit of Pakae Hospital, a COVID-19 dedicated hospital in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The number of critically ill patients decreased by 18 from the previous day but still remains close to 1,000 at 971. The death toll increased by 73, bringing the total to 4,591. The cumulative fatality rate stands at 0.83%.

As of 5 p.m. the previous day, the nationwide intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy rate was 81.9%. In particular, the metropolitan area is operating at 89.5% occupancy of 837 beds. Seoul is at 89.5%, Incheon at 89.4%, and Gyeonggi at 84.3%, meaning virtually all available beds are in use. In Gyeongbuk (3 beds), all beds are occupied, and nearby metropolitan regions such as Chungbuk (96.9%), Daejeon (92.9%), and Gangwon (90.5%) maintain occupancy rates above 90%.

As of midnight, among those waiting for bed allocation, 659 patients are waiting for hospitalization and 298 are waiting for admission to residential treatment centers. All are waiting in the metropolitan area.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, as of midnight, 95,755 people received their first dose, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 43,300,593. The vaccination rate for the first dose relative to the population is 84.3%. Among those aged 18 and older and those aged 60 and older, 94.5% and 93.8% have completed the first dose, respectively. The number of new second-dose vaccinations was 60,564, with a cumulative total of 41,939,065.

The number of new third-dose vaccinations was 888,243, totaling 9,781,164. This corresponds to 19.0% of the total population having received the third dose. Among those aged 18 and older, 22.2%, and among those aged 60 and older, 50.3% have received the third dose.