S. Korea reports 870 COVID-19 cases on Jan. 7, 3rd straight day of triple-digits

Medical workers at a screening center in Gwangju warm their hands amid freezing temperatures on Jan. 6. (Yonhap News)

South Korea reported 870 new cases of COVID-19 on Jan. 7, the third straight day of the caseload falling under 1,000.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 833 of the cases were domestic infections, while the remaining 37 were from overseas. The country’s cumulative total is now 66,686.

Among the domestic transmissions, 623 occurred in the Seoul Capital Area (SCA): 292 in Seoul, 294 in Gyeonggi Province, and 37 in Incheon. The remaining 210 occurred in other parts of the country. Among the 37 overseas infections, 14 were detected during airport screening procedures, while 23 were confirmed while patients were in quarantine. Twenty-six were South Korean nationals and 11 were foreigners.

The number of patients under treatment or in quarantine increased by 197 to 17,991. The number of patients in severe or critical condition decreased by 11 to 400. The cumulative death toll increased by 19 to 1,046.

By Suh Hye-mi, staff reporter

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