COVID-19 New Cases 18,511... Approaching 20,000 for Three Consecutive Days (Update)

56 Critically Ill Hospitalized Patients... 10 Deaths

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The number of new domestic COVID-19 cases in South Korea has been close to 20,000 for three consecutive days.

On the 7th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight, 18,511 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total cumulative cases to 18,451,862.

The daily new cases have ranged between 18,000 and 19,000 since the 5th, marking the first time in about 40 days since May 26. Imported cases numbered 194, exceeding 100 for 14 consecutive days. Health authorities attribute the recent increase in cases to the rise in imported cases and the detection of Omicron subvariants such as BA.5.

The number of new deaths was 10, an increase of 3 from the previous day. By age group, there were 4 deaths each among those aged 80 and above and those in their 70s, 1 death in the 60s, and 1 death in the teens. The total cumulative deaths stand at 24,593, with a fatality rate of 0.13%.

The number of critically ill patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 is 56. The nationwide critical care bed occupancy rate is 7.9%, with 7.7% in the metropolitan area and 8.6% in non-metropolitan areas.

On the previous day, 18,812 new patients were added to home treatment, bringing the total number of home-treated patients to 77,389. This marks an increase from the 60,000 range to over 70,000 in just one day. Among those receiving home treatment, 2,927 are in the intensive management group receiving health monitoring from medical institutions.

As of midnight, the fourth dose vaccination rate for those aged 60 and above is 31.4%. The first dose vaccination rate for children aged 5 to 11 is 1.5%, and the second dose rate is 1.0%.