12.6% Positive Rate Among Short-Term Chinese Arrivals the Previous Day...Decrease Due to Submission of Negative Test Certificates Before Entry (Comprehensive)

On the 5th, the first day of mandatory registration for the 'Quarantine Information Pre-Entry System' (Q-CODE) for arrivals from China, Hong Kong, and Macau, a notice replaced with Chinese characters reading '?中??的旅客 (travelers from China)' was installed at the arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport. Photo by Jinhyung Kang, Yeongjongdo aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Starting from the 5th, the submission of a negative COVID-19 test certificate before entry has been made mandatory for arrivals from China, resulting in a significant decrease in the infection rate among short-term visitors.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 6th, out of 1,247 arrivals from China the previous day, 278 short-term visitors staying less than 90 days underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, with 35 (12.6%) testing positive. This is a substantial decrease compared to the previous day's positivity rate of 31.5%. Since the mandatory PCR testing began on the 2nd, the cumulative number of confirmed cases among short-term visitors is 277 out of 1,199 (23.1%).

This decline is estimated to be the effect of preemptively blocking infected individuals from entering through PCR testing and professional rapid antigen testing (RAT) within 48 hours before entry. The KDCA explained, "This result may be a combined effect of the infection spread situation in China, strengthened quarantine measures against arrivals from China in Korea, and short-term foreign visitors canceling their planned schedules," adding, "Continuous monitoring is necessary to see if this trend continues."

As of midnight on the same day, 56,954 new domestic COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the cumulative total to 29,420,226. This is 7,152 fewer than the previous day (64,106) and 8,253 fewer than a week ago on the 30th of last month (65,207). The number of confirmed cases has been decreasing for 10 consecutive days since the 28th of last month compared to a week earlier. Imported cases increased by 64 to 258 compared to the previous day.

The number of critically ill patients hospitalized was 548, down by 23 from the previous day, remaining in the 500s for the second consecutive day. There were 75 additional deaths, bringing the cumulative death toll to 32,496, with a fatality rate of 0.11%.

As of midnight, the additional vaccination rate for the winter season was recorded at 31.4% for those aged 60 and over, and 55.1% for residents in infection-vulnerable facilities.