3,000 new confirmed cases for five days in a row… 517 severe cases
[앵커]
The number of new COVID-19 cases has risen to 3,000 for the fifth consecutive day.
While the sharp spread continues even over the weekend, the number of severe cases of severe disease has exceeded 500 today.
Contact the Ministry of Economy and Trade to hear more information. Reporter Kim Ji-soo.
[기자]
As of 00:00 today (20th), the number of new COVID-19 cases is 3,120.
It is the first time since the crisis that the number of 3,000 people has been maintained for five days, and it does not appear to be significantly affected by the decrease in the number of inspections on weekends, which was usually the case.
Of these, 3,098 were infected in Korea and 22 were imported.
By region, 1,315 people in Seoul, 988 people in Gyeonggi-do, and 203 people in Incheon still concentrated more than 80% in the metropolitan area.
In addition to the increase in the number of confirmed cases, it is worrying that the number of critically ill patients, a major quarantine indicator, has recently exceeded 500 daily.
The number of patients with severe cases increased by 9 more than the day before, and the number was 517.
The death toll rose by 30, bringing the total number of deaths to 3,274.
The completion rate of the second vaccination has risen to 78.9% of the population.
However, since the quarantine has been eased, group infections have been occurring everywhere, and the elderly over the age of 60 are seeing breakthrough infections one after another.
Concerns about the shortage of beds are not going away easily.
The utilization rate of hospital beds for critically ill patients in Seoul has already exceeded 82% as of 5 pm yesterday (20th).
Even in the entire metropolitan area, including Gyeonggi and Incheon, the utilization rate is 81.5%.
There are not many factors that could reduce the number of confirmed cases due to year-end gatherings, etc., so the quarantine authorities see the next three weeks as the biggest turning point.
So far, it has been reported by the press.
Yonhap News TV Article Inquiries and Reports: KakaoTalk/Line jebo23
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