COVID-19 New Cases Surpass 30,000... 8,919 Increase in One Day

Over 30,000 Cases Three Days After Entering 20,000 Range
Concerns of Sharp Increase Next Week as Seollal Holiday Impact Intensifies
Gyeonggi-do Records First 10,000 Cases... Highest for Four Consecutive Days

On the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 2nd, citizens are lining up in front of the screening clinic at Busan Nam-gu Health Center, waiting to get tested for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). [Image source=Yonhap News]

The number of new COVID-19 cases has surpassed 30,000. This comes just three days after entering the 20,000 range.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters reported that as of midnight, 36,362 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 971,018. Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the number of new cases has sharply increased, exceeding 30,000.

The number of new cases first exceeded 10,000 on the 26th of last month with 13,009 cases, then rose to the 20,000 range on the 2nd (20,269 cases) just a week later. Since then, it has surpassed 30,000 in only three days.

Compared to the previous day's 27,443 cases, there was a sharp increase of 8,919 cases in one day.

Gyeonggi-do recorded 10,449 cases, surpassing 10,000 for the first time, and Seoul recorded 8,598 cases, with a total of 21,547 cases in the metropolitan area alone.

Gyeonggi-do set a new daily record for four consecutive days with 6,050 cases on the 1st, 6,557 on the 2nd, and 7,226 on the 3rd.

By city and county, Suwon-si (795 cases), Yongin-si (785 cases), Bucheon-si (736 cases), and Ansan-si (706 cases) recorded cases in the 700s.

Namyangju-si (663 cases), Siheung-si (583 cases), Seongnam-si (574 cases), Goyang-si (516 cases), and Hwaseong-si (511 cases) also reported more than 500 cases.

There is an analysis that the scale of confirmed cases could increase more sharply starting next week due to the nationwide travel and face-to-face contact during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Regarding the infection routes of new cases, 36,162 were locally transmitted, and 200 were imported cases.

The average daily number of confirmed cases over the past week from the 30th of last month is approximately 22,847.

The COVID-19 vaccination completion rate (percentage of those who have completed the basic vaccination) as of midnight is 85.9% (a cumulative total of 44,092,874 people). The third dose has been administered to 54.5% of the total population (a cumulative total of 27,952,416 people).