31st Patient-Centered 38 Cases Outbreak... Extremely Unusual Even Among 'Super Spreaders'

Concerns Over Large-Scale Infection Becoming a Reality

Graphic by Joo Ryong Lee

[Asia Economy reporters Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon, (Daegu) Lee Jung-yoon] On the 20th, a large number of additional cases emerged among contacts of patient number 31 (born 1959, Korean female), suspected to be the first domestic 'super-spreader' case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea. While a large number of confirmed cases occurred at the Daegu Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which patient 31 had visited, an unusually high number of 38 additional confirmed cases related to this patient were reported over the two days of the 19th and 20th.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as of 9 a.m. that day, there were 31 additional domestic COVID-19 cases. This figure includes cases reported from 4 p.m. the previous day through the night, with 30 cases in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions and 1 case in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Among the 30 additional confirmed cases in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, 23 were members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The health authorities stated that all of these are related to patient 31.

Patient 31 is the first confirmed case in the Yeongnam region, reported on the 18th. She was hospitalized on the 7th at a medical institution in Daegu (Saeronan Korean Medicine Hospital) due to a traffic accident, where she developed fever and pneumonia symptoms. Medical staff twice recommended that she be transferred to another hospital for COVID-19 testing, but she refused both times, stating that she had not traveled abroad and had no contact with confirmed patients.

Meanwhile, she attended Shincheonji Church of Jesus services on the 9th and 16th and dined at a hotel in Daegu on the 15th. This led to an increase in the number of contacts. Although health authorities expressed a cautious stance, emphasizing the need for an in-depth investigation into the infection route of this patient, the current outbreak situation suggests a high possibility that patient 31 is a super-spreader who infected multiple people simultaneously. On the previous day, 15 confirmed cases related to this patient were reported, and further cases may continue to emerge as investigations proceed.

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin stated at a briefing that "Among 1,001 Shincheonji Church of Jesus members surveyed, 90 reported symptoms." Of these, 515 reported no symptoms, and 396 could not be reached by phone. Additional confirmed cases may arise from this group.