COVID-19 New Cases 90,928... Below 100,000 for the First Time in 48 Days (Update)

After Surpassing 100,000 on February 23, Cases Drop Below 10,000 for the First Time... 1,099 Severe Cases and 258 Deaths

The temporary screening site in front of Seoul City Hall was quiet on the 11th, the first day that free COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, which were available at public health centers, were discontinued. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen below 100,000 for the first time in 48 days. This is the lowest figure on a Monday in seven weeks.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 11th at midnight that the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 90,928 from the previous day, bringing the total confirmed cases to 15,424,598.

The number of new cases decreased by 73,553 compared to the previous day (164,481). This is the first time since February 23, when new cases rose to 171,449 and crossed the 100,000 mark, that the number has dropped below 100,000. However, Monday’s case count reflects the 'weekend effect,' where testing numbers typically decrease.

Due to the Omicron variant surge, new COVID-19 cases in March rapidly increased, surpassing 200,000 on the 2nd, 300,000 on the 9th, 400,000 on the 16th, and 600,000 on the 17th, before showing a declining trend.

As of midnight on the same day, the number of critically ill patients decreased by 15 from the previous day to 1,099. The number of critically ill patients has hovered around 1,100 since the 1st.

The number of deaths decreased by 71 from the previous day to 258, dropping from the 300s to the 200s for the first time in five days. The cumulative death toll stands at 19,679, with a fatality rate of 0.13%.

The nationwide COVID-19 critical care bed occupancy rate rose by 1.8 percentage points from the previous day (58.2%) to 60.0%. The rate is 57.1% in the metropolitan area and 66.9% in non-metropolitan areas.

Currently, the total number of patients under home treatment nationwide is 1,121,480, of whom 101,947 are in the intensive management group receiving health care from medical institutions. On the 10th, the number of new home treatment cases was 108,106.