1,078 new Covid cases reported, another daily record

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1,078 new Covid cases reported, another daily record

Published: 16 Dec. 2020, 11:16 Updated: 16 Dec. 2020, 18:31

Christmas decorations light the entrance of Jogye Temple in Jongno District, central Seoul, Tuesday. The temple announced it would cancel its annual tree-lighting event with Christian religious leaders this year due to the pandemic. [YONHAP]

Korea registered 1,078 new Covid-19 cases Tuesday, breaking the daily record as the nation grapples with what health authorities call the biggest threat since the pandemic erupted.

The previous high was Saturday’s 1,030 cases. There were 718 new cases Sunday and 880 on Monday.

Of Tuesday’s total cases, 1,054 were domestic infections, mostly in the greater Seoul area — 373 in Seoul, 320 in Gyeonggi and 64 in Incheon, according to statistics from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Among the rest, 75 people were diagnosed in North Jeolla, 41 in Busan, 35 in South Chungcheong, 28 in North Gyeongsang, 27 in Daegu, 22 in North Chungcheong, 19 in South Gyeongsang, 15 each in Daejeon and on Jeju Island, eight in Gangwon, six in Ulsan, four in South Jeolla and two in Gwangju.

All 17 major cities and provinces added a new case except for Sejong City.

The remaining 24 cases were imported — seven from the United States, six from Indonesia and one each from the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Russia, Myanmar, Japan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mexico, Canada, Panama and Morocco.

Twelve patients died, raising total deaths to 612, while 388 people recovered, bringing the total number of recovered patients in Korea to 32,947. As of Tuesday at midnight, the country had counted 45,442 Covid-19 cases in all.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]