New Cases 5,318, Decrease Due to 'Weekend Effect'... Severe Cases Still Near 1,000

No New Omicron Cases Detected... Total 178
Nationwide ICU Bed Occupancy at 81%... Daejeon & Gyeongbuk at 100%

On the 19th, citizens waiting to get tested at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] On the 20th, the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded 5,318, somewhat reduced due to the 'weekend effect' where testing decreases over the weekend. The number of critically ill patients hospitalized also slightly decreased to 997. Although it dropped back to three digits after three days, it still remains close to 1,000.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the 20th, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 5,318 to a total of 570,414. Of these, 5,258 were domestic cases and 60 were imported cases. This is about 500 fewer than the 5,817 cases reported the previous Monday. Accordingly, the weekly average of locally transmitted cases is 6,722, showing a slight pause in the upward trend that had continued for 40 days until the previous day.

By region, the Seoul metropolitan area reported 3,741 cases, accounting for 71.1% of all locally transmitted cases. This includes ▲Seoul 1,895 ▲Incheon 371 ▲Gyeonggi 1,475. Non-metropolitan areas reported ▲Busan 364 ▲Daegu 110 ▲Gwangju 52 ▲Daejeon 112 ▲Ulsan 36 ▲Sejong 16 ▲Gangwon 126 ▲Chungbuk 68 ▲Chungnam 184 ▲Jeonbuk 99 ▲Jeonnam 54 ▲Gyeongbuk 115 ▲Gyeongnam 155 ▲Jeju 26.

Among the 60 imported cases, 13 were detected during quarantine, and 47 were confirmed in the community.

No additional Omicron variant infections were confirmed the previous day, keeping the cumulative total at 178 cases.

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-do. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The number of critically ill patients hospitalized, which had exceeded 1,000, decreased by 28 from the previous day, falling back to three digits. However, it still remains close to 997. The number of deaths increased by 54, bringing the cumulative total to 4,776. The cumulative fatality rate stands at 0.84%.

As of 5 p.m. the previous day, the nationwide ICU bed occupancy rate was 80.9%. In particular, in the Seoul metropolitan area, 735 out of 837 beds are in use, with an occupancy rate reaching 87.8%, effectively at the exhaustion stage. The rates are 88.9% in Seoul, 91.8% in Incheon, and 85.8% in Gyeonggi, fluctuating around dangerous levels. In other regions, all beds are occupied in Daejeon (28 beds) and Gyeongbuk (3 beds), and Chungbuk maintains an occupancy rate above 90% at 96.9%.

As of midnight on this day, among those waiting for bed allocation, 510 are waiting for hospitalization and 255 are waiting for admission to residential treatment centers. All are waiting for allocation in the Seoul metropolitan area. The number of patients under home treatment is 32,017.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, as of midnight on this day, 5,851 people received their first dose, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 43,493,325. The vaccination rate for the first dose relative to the population is 84.7%. Among those aged 18 and over and those aged 60 and over, 94.7% and 93.9% have completed the first dose, respectively. The number of new second-dose vaccinations was 1,743, with a cumulative total of 42,070,660.

The number of new third-dose vaccinations was 29,240, bringing the cumulative total to 11,565,083. The overall population vaccination rate for the third dose is 22.5%. Among those aged 18 and over, 26.2% have received the third dose, and among those aged 60 and over, 56.7% have received it.