As of 6 PM, 2,471 COVID-19 Cases Nationwide... 742 Fewer Than Yesterday

On the 16th, when 4,194 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens who visited the temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza were waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] As the possibility of the spread of COVID-19 variants, including the new Omicron variant, increases, more than 2,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide as of 6 p.m. on the 16th.

According to health authorities and local government heads including Seoul City, 2,471 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19 by 6 p.m. on that day. This is 742 fewer than the 3,213 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

It appears to reflect the usual trend of fewer tests being conducted on weekends, resulting in a decrease in confirmed COVID-19 cases. The number of new confirmed cases is expected to increase further by midnight when the tally is finalized.

Among the confirmed cases that day, 1,288 (52.1%) were in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 1,183 (47.9%) were in non-metropolitan areas. By city and province, the numbers were: Gyeonggi 648, Seoul 517, Gwangju 230, Daegu 173, Incheon 123, Busan 118, Jeonnam 110, Gyeongbuk 95, Jeonbuk 92, Gyeongnam 89, Chungnam 83, Daejeon 76, Gangwon 73, Chungbuk 28, Jeju 12, Ulsan and Sejong 2 each. Confirmed cases were reported in all 17 cities and provinces.

The fourth wave, which began in July last year, has continued for seven months. Over the past week from the 10th, the daily new confirmed cases were 3,005 → 3,094 → 4,383 → 4,165 → 4,538 → 4,421 → 4,194, averaging about 3,854 new cases per day.