The 16th Novel Coronavirus Patient Entered from Thailand Last Month (Update)

On the 4th, a notice board announcing the temporary closure was placed inside the gate of Mokun Elementary School in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Mokun Elementary School decided to close after it was revealed that one parent had sat next to the 12th confirmed COVID-19 patient at a movie theater in Bucheon. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] One more new case of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) has been confirmed in South Korea on the 4th.

Kim Kang-lip, Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a briefing on the 4th, "The 16th patient has been confirmed," adding, "The immediate response team is currently on site conducting epidemiological investigations and quarantine measures." Including the 15 patients confirmed up to the previous day, the total number of novel coronavirus patients in South Korea has risen to 16. This is the fifth patient confirmed in February.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 16th patient is a 42-year-old Korean woman who traveled to Thailand and returned to South Korea on the 19th of last month. She began experiencing symptoms such as chills from the afternoon of the 25th of the same month and received treatment until the 2nd of this month, but her symptoms did not improve. She then visited Chonnam National University Hospital on the 3rd, was isolated, and tested positive in a test conducted by the Gwangju Health and Environment Research Institute. The specific route of infection has not yet been confirmed.