Total COVID-19 Cases Surge by 82
30 New Cases Added in TK After 18 the Day Before
1 Confirmed in Seoul Jongno... Total 31 Added in One Day
On the afternoon of the 19th, citizens are passing in front of the Daegu Medical Center screening clinic in Jungri-dong, Seo-gu, Daegu. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon] Thirty new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been reported in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. This is the largest number of cases reported in a single day.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 20th, 31 new confirmed cases were identified that morning. Among the newly confirmed patients, one was from Seoul (Jongno-gu), and the remaining 30 were from the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. Of the 30 patients in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, 23 are known to be related to the 31st confirmed patient (female, 61), who was diagnosed on the 18th. These patients are either members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus that the patient attended or had contact with the patient, making the Shincheonji Church of Jesus a suspected cluster outbreak site.
Similar to Singapore (church) and Japan (cruise ship), a cluster infection has materialized domestically among people who gathered in the same space during a specific period and were exposed to the source of infection. Kim Kang-lip, Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, described the situation at a briefing as "the beginning stage of community transmission of COVID-19."
Among the additional confirmed patients identified that day, two were infected at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk, and the connection of five others is being investigated. Including patient number 31, there are 49 cases in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions alone, accounting for more than half of the domestic cases so far. The number of patients discharged after recovery remains at 16, unchanged from the previous day. As the number of patients whose infection routes are difficult to trace increases?including patients number 29 and 30, patient number 40 confirmed the previous day (Seongdong-gu, Seoul), and the patient confirmed that day in Jongno-gu, Seoul?the possibility of new cases occurring anytime and anywhere has also increased. The total number of people tested for COVID-19 has exceeded 12,000 as of that day.
Meanwhile, according to the National Health Commission of China (NHC) on the same day, 394 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the cumulative total to 74,576. The death toll increased by 114, totaling 2,118.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
