As the spread of COVID-19 sharply increased, the number of new confirmed cases exceeded 7,000 for the first time today (8th).
The number of seriously ill patients also recorded an all-time high of 800 for the first time.
The Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as of 00:00 today, the number of new confirmed cases increased by 7,175, to a cumulative total of 489,484.
This is the highest number since the first case of COVID-19 in Korea on January 20 last year, and 1,823 more than the previous record of 5,352 on the 4th.
Compared to yesterday's 4,954, 2,221 people jumped.
Usually, the number of confirmed cases decreases at the beginning of the week due to the decrease in the number of tests on weekends and holidays, and then increases again from the middle. Even considering this trend, the increase is large.
In particular, the number of confirmed cases is rapidly increasing due to the increase in social activities since the quarantine system was switched to a phased daily recovery on the 1st of last month.
The number of new confirmed cases was 4,115 on the 24th of last month, entering the 4,000 range for the first time, and 5,122 on the 1st, just a week later, recording the first 5,000 level. has exceeded.
The number of patients with severe severe cases also recorded 840, the highest number on record every day.
It increased by 66 people from 774 yesterday, the previous record high.
The number of patients with severe cases recorded 700 people (723 → 733 → 736 → 752 → 744 → 727 → 774) for one week in a row from the 1st, but today it entered the 800 range for the first time.
Among the severe cases, 83.3%, or 700, are older than 60 years of age.
85 people in their 50s, 26 people in their 40s, and 24 people in their 30s followed in that order, and there was also one patient in their teens and one under 10 years of age.
An increase in the number of critically ill patients leads to a shortage of beds.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the nationwide Corona 19 severe hospital utilization rate reached 78.7%, and the metropolitan area reached the limit of 84.5%.
Daejeon (28 units used), Sejong (6 units), Gangwon (36 units), and Gyeongbuk (3 units) have no remaining severe beds.
As of 00:00 today, 860 people in the metropolitan area have been waiting for more than one day to be assigned.
Of these, 358 have been hospitalized for more than four days.
Among those waiting for the hospital bed, 378 people are over 70 years old, and 482 people have diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
The number of COVID-19 patients being treated at home was 17,362, an increase of 538 from yesterday.
It is concentrated in the metropolitan area with 8,791 people in Seoul, 5,729 people in Gyeonggi, and 1,61 people in Incheon.
Yesterday, 63 people died from COVID-19, the third highest in history.
As a result, the cumulative number of deaths reached 4,020, entering the 4,000 range.
The average fatality rate is 0.82%.
Of the deaths, 59 were over the age of 60 and four were in their 50s.
The government has implemented special quarantine measures such as reducing the size of private gatherings and expanding the target of quarantine passes since the 6th, but the effect is expected to appear in one to two weeks.
In the meantime, there are concerns that quarantine indicators such as the number of confirmed cases, severe cases, and deaths will continue to deteriorate.
As the effectiveness of vaccination for those over 60 years of age who received the vaccine early has decreased, the number of cases of breakthrough infection among the elderly is increasing.
The number of people infected with the Omicron mutation, a new mutant virus of COVID-19, is also increasing, making quarantine a burden.
The number of infected with Omicron mutation increased by two today, bringing the total to 38.
All of these cases are domestically infected.
The routes of infection of the confirmed cases of Omicron mutation so far are 29 domestic infections and 9 imported cases.
(Photo = Yonhap News)