38,051 New COVID-19 Cases by 9 PM... 'Doubling' Phenomenon Continues

On the 13th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases surged to the 40,000 range for the first time in over two months, citizens were undergoing diagnostic tests at the screening clinic of Yongsan-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] As the COVID-19 outbreak enters a renewed expansion phase, the number of new confirmed cases nationwide was recorded in the high 30,000s by 9 p.m. on the 13th.

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government and other local governments, from midnight to 9 p.m. on this day, 38,051 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19.

This is 683 fewer than the previous day's count (38,734), but it marks the third consecutive day exceeding 30,000 cases at the same time frame. The interim tally of new cases is 2.17 times higher than the count at the same time on the 6th, a week ago (17,507), an increase of 20,544 cases.

The 'doubling' phenomenon, where the number of confirmed cases doubles weekly, continues. With time remaining until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases to be announced on the 14th could reach 40,000.

As of 9 p.m. on this day, new confirmed cases were 21,278 (55.9%) in the metropolitan area and 16,773 (44.1%) in non-metropolitan areas.

By region, the numbers are: Gyeonggi 10,537, Seoul 9,655, Gyeongnam 2,087, Incheon 1,932, Gyeongbuk 1,573, Chungnam 1,509, Busan 1,450, Daegu 1,222, Jeonbuk 1,149, Ulsan 1,086, Chungbuk 1,044, Gangwon 1,038, Daejeon 1,022, Jeonnam 850, Jeju 831, Gwangju 800, Sejong 266.

As the COVID-19 outbreak showed a steep increase on this day, the government announced measures for quarantine and medical response in preparation for the resurgence. The fourth vaccine dose, previously administered to those aged 60 and over, residents of nursing hospitals and facilities, and mental health promotion facility residents, as well as immunocompromised individuals, will now also include people in their 50s, individuals aged 18 and over with underlying conditions, and residents of facilities for the disabled and homeless. Considering social and economic costs, a full reintroduction of social distancing measures will not be implemented.