On the 2nd, as the spread of COVID-19 continued, the screening clinic at Mapo-gu Public Health Center in Seoul was crowded with citizens. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 110,000, marking the highest figure in 105 days. The number of imported cases was the highest since COVID-19 was first confirmed in South Korea.
According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 2nd, as of midnight, 111,789 new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the total cumulative cases to 19,932,439. The daily new cases recorded the highest number in 105 days since April 19 (118,474 cases). This is more than double the previous day’s figure (44,689 cases), which was affected by the "weekend effect" where fewer tests are conducted and fewer cases are reported. The cumulative number of cases is expected to surpass 20 million by midnight on the 3rd, just 13 days after exceeding 19 million on the 21st of last month.
On the same day, imported cases reached 568, breaking the previous record of 534 cases set six days earlier on the 27th of last month. The significant increase in imported cases during the summer vacation period has raised concerns about the influx of variant viruses. Although the rate of increase in new cases has slowed, the number of critically ill patients has nearly doubled. The number of severe COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized is 282, which is 1.68 times higher than the previous week.
Two additional cases of the BA.2.75 variant (known as Centaurus) were confirmed, bringing the total number of BA.2.75 infections in South Korea to nine. Both cases involved travelers returning from India: a person in their 50s residing in Jeonnam and a person in their 30s residing in Gyeongbuk. The confirmation dates were the 24th and 22nd of last month, respectively. Both cases were mild and underwent home treatment, and have since been released from isolation.
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