"'Wuhan Pneumonia' Confirmed Patient Transits Shanghai... Considering Expansion of Contaminated Areas Across China"

Jeong Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Briefs on Second 'Wuhan Pneumonia' Confirmed Case on 24th
Second Wuhan Pneumonia Case Not from Direct Wuhan Flight
Entered Gimpo Airport via Shanghai Transit
Plans to Expand Contaminated Areas to Entire China

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol and Koo Chae-eun] As the second confirmed case of Wuhan pneumonia was confirmed to have entered through Gimpo Airport via Shanghai, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced plans to expand the contaminated area to the entire territory of China.

Unlike the first confirmed case who entered via a direct flight from Wuhan, the second confirmed case passed through a transit point, increasing the contact routes. Accordingly, the KCDC stated that it plans to expand the Wuhan pneumonia contaminated area to the whole of China and strengthen quarantine measures.

Below is a Q&A with Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the KCDC.

- There was focused monitoring at Incheon Airport, but the confirmed case was someone who traveled via a transit point rather than a direct flight.

▲ Since there was a direct flight to Wuhan, we concentrated quarantine efforts on direct flights, but because there are also arrivals through other routes, we plan to expand quarantine to cover all of China. About 32,000 people enter Korea from China daily. It is difficult to conduct one-on-one fever checks on all of them, so monitoring is done at the arrival area. The most important thing is for the public to cooperate if they have symptoms. The contaminated area will be expanded to the entire territory of China.

- What is the current condition of the second confirmed patient?

▲ The patient is receiving inpatient treatment. Since the patient has bronchitis, further tests are needed to determine the relation to pneumonia. We expect to provide symptomatic treatment. The patient is currently in a stable condition. However, clinical symptoms may change over time, so monitoring is necessary. We will provide updates on this later.

- What about the infection route?

▲ The infection route is still under investigation. We need to identify more details, but it is believed that the spread occurred through human-to-human transmission.

- What is the condition of the first confirmed patient?

▲ The patient still has a fever. Recent high-resolution chest CT scans showed signs of pneumonia, so we are monitoring closely. Although there are no subjective symptoms, the high-resolution CT shows slight indications.

- Are there plans to strengthen the criteria for active monitoring targets?

▲ We are currently reviewing tightening the case definitions more precisely, reflecting the expansion of Wuhan city and the increase in patients within China. Since many guidelines and policies need to be updated, we will strengthen them as soon as possible.

- What are the countermeasures regarding concerns about human-to-human infection?

▲ The patient understands the situation in Wuhan and is wearing a mask. We plan to conduct active monitoring for those considered close contacts, and for family members who had the longest contact time, we will monitor more closely. We are identifying contacts through CCTV and other means. Epidemiological investigations are currently underway.

- How was the screening examination conducted?

▲ Screening examination involves separating the movement paths of suspected patients from the general public. This patient reported to the public health center during active monitoring, and the examination was conducted according to screening examination principles.