Confirmed Case No. 31 in Daegu... 60-Year-Old Woman with No Overseas Travel History (Update)

Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The 31st confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea has been reported in Daegu Metropolitan City. The patient is a woman in her 60s with no history of overseas travel.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced on the 18th at 9 a.m. that one additional confirmed case was identified domestically, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 31. This reflects updates added overnight since 4 p.m. on the 17th.

The 31st patient is a Korean woman born in 1959 who was tested for COVID-19 at the Suseong District Public Health Center in Daegu and received a positive diagnosis. She has been isolated at Daegu Medical Center, a nationally designated inpatient treatment facility. The patient stated to health authorities that she has no history of overseas travel. The possibility of community transmission with an unidentified infection source cannot be ruled out.

Among previously confirmed patients, a total of 10 have been released from isolation as of this morning due to improved condition. As of this morning, 9,234 individuals with symptoms such as fever and cough who have traveled to countries affected by the novel coronavirus, including China, are under medical observation, an increase of 546 from 8,688 as of yesterday afternoon. Of these, 8,277 have tested negative, and 957 are still undergoing testing.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters releases updates on domestic novel coronavirus cases twice daily at 10 a.m. (based on 9 a.m. data) and 5 p.m. (based on 4 p.m. data).