COVID-19 New Cases Exceed 100,000 for Five Consecutive Days... 45 Deaths Reported (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Due to the resurgence of COVID-19, over 110,000 new confirmed cases were reported nationwide on the 6th.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on this day, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 110,666, bringing the cumulative total to 20,383,621.

The number of new confirmed cases on this day was 2,235 fewer than the previous day (112,901 cases).

It was the highest number on a Saturday in 17 weeks since April 9 (185,532 cases).

This is 1.35 times the number from a week ago on the 30th of last month (81,981 cases) and 1.61 times the number from two weeks ago on the 23rd of last month (68,532 cases).

The doubling phenomenon, where the number of new confirmed cases doubles weekly, has eased since the end of last month, but the weekly increase rate has slightly risen this week compared to the previous week.

Additionally, the number of new cases has exceeded 100,000 for five consecutive days from the 2nd to this day.

The number of new confirmed cases over the past week from the 31st of last month to this day were 73,559 → 44,659 → 111,764 → 119,899 → 107,894 → 112,901 → 110,666, averaging 97,334 cases per day.

Among the new confirmed cases on this day, 573 were imported cases, 76 more than the previous day (497 cases).

Excluding imported cases, domestic regional infections numbered 110,093.

The number of confirmed cases by region (including imported cases) were: Gyeonggi 29,097, Seoul 20,160, Gyeongnam 6,760, Busan 6,578, Gyeongbuk 5,721, Incheon 5,595, Chungnam 4,714, Daegu 4,706, Jeonbuk 485, Gangwon 3,975, Chungbuk 3,913, Jeonnam 3,591, Daejeon 3,462, Ulsan 2,958, Gwangju 2,845, Jeju 1,642, Sejong 823, Quarantine 41.

The number of critically ill patients on this day was 313, down by 7 from the previous day (320).

The critical care bed occupancy rate was 35.3% (596 out of 1,686 beds in use), up 2.6 percentage points from the previous day (32.7%).

The semi-critical care bed occupancy rate rose 2.5 percentage points from the previous day (51.8%) to 54.3%, while the moderate care bed occupancy rate fell 0.6 percentage points from the previous day (42.0%) to 41.4%.

The number of COVID-19 deaths reported the previous day was 45, two fewer than the day before (47).

Among the deceased, 28 (62.2%) were aged 80 or older, 10 were in their 70s, 5 in their 60s, and one each in their 50s and 30s.

The cumulative death toll stands at 25,236, with a cumulative COVID-19 fatality rate of 0.12%.

The number of critically ill patients has remained in the 300s for three consecutive days since the 4th, and the number of deaths has been in the 40s for two consecutive days since the 5th.

Since critical illness and deaths occur with a 1-2 week lag after confirmed cases, health authorities expect the number of critically ill patients and deaths to remain somewhat elevated or increase over the next 1-2 weeks amid the recent resurgence.

As of midnight on this day, 566,856 confirmed patients were under home treatment, an increase of 32,075 from the previous day (534,781).

There are 13,363 respiratory patient treatment centers nationwide for COVID-19 patients, of which 9,594 are 'one-stop treatment centers' capable of testing, prescribing, and treating all in one place.

Health authorities revised their forecast on the 4th, predicting that the peak of this COVID-19 resurgence will reach around 150,000 daily cases within this month.

Although there was once a projection of over 250,000 cases per day, the recent easing in the increase of confirmed cases has lowered the peak estimate.

However, authorities remain cautious, warning that the epidemic period may be prolonged. If the fatality rate rises to levels seen during the initial Delta variant wave or if bed occupancy reaches critical levels, partial social distancing measures may be reintroduced, especially in vulnerable facilities.