A public health official from Nam-gu Office is conducting disinfection work near the Shincheonji Daegu Church. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), stated on the 20th that regarding the 31st confirmed case of COVID-19 in South Korea (born 1959, Korean female), "We are conducting an investigation with a focus on the possibility that she is a secondary infected patient."
Director Jung responded this way during the regular briefing on the domestic COVID-19 situation in the afternoon when asked, "Do you consider this patient a super-spreader?" She explained, "The onset date of the 31st patient is estimated to be around the 7th or 10th of this month," adding, "If you draw an epidemic curve based on the onset dates of confirmed cases related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church, there are some patients on the 7th, 8th, and 9th, and a very large peak on the 15th, 16th, and 17th."
She continued, "Since there are several patients who developed symptoms around the same time, it is difficult to consider the 31st patient as the initial patient," and added, "These people were also exposed together somewhere, and we are investigating under the assumption that secondary amplification or secondary infection occurred through worship services on the 9th and 16th."
Director Jung said, "Only after the investigation can we determine whether the 31st patient was the primary source of infection or if someone else infected her," and stated, "Currently, the judgment leans toward the possibility that the 31st patient is also a secondary infected patient."
Cluster outbreak at Shincheonji Daegu Church... Possibility of additional confirmed cases
Authorities conducting full investigation of 1,000 contacts, securing full list of church members
31st patient also confirmed to have visited Cheongdo earlier this month... Investigating link with confirmed cases at Daenam Hospital
The 31st patient is the first confirmed case in the Yeongnam region, reported on the 18th. Epidemiological investigations by health authorities revealed that she had contact with 1,160 people so far. Following the occurrence of 38 related confirmed cases on the 19th and 20th at the Shincheonji Jesus Church and medical institutions she visited, suspicions arose that she might be a 'super-spreader' who infected multiple people at once.
The authorities are currently conducting a full investigation of 1,001 people who attended worship services at the Shincheonji Daegu Church at the same time as the 31st patient and have placed all of them under self-quarantine. Additionally, they are working to obtain the full list of 8,000 church members of Shincheonji Daegu Church.
It was also revealed that the 31st patient visited Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province earlier this month. On the 19th, two confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in Cheongdo. The authorities are investigating the connection between the 31st patient and the confirmed cases in Cheongdo.
Director Jung said, "It has been confirmed that the 31st patient visited the Cheongdo area in early February," adding, "Through GPS tracking and patient interviews, we are identifying what activities she engaged in and which places she visited in Cheongdo." The authorities are also conducting epidemiological investigations and disinfection measures, including full specimen testing, targeting patients and staff at Daenam Hospital.
Meanwhile, as of 4 p.m. on the same day, the total number of COVID-19 patients in South Korea increased to 104. This is an increase of 22 from 82 cases reported at 9 a.m. Twenty-one new cases were reported in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, and one case was reported in Seoul.
Among the 21 new cases in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, five are related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church, one was reported at Saeronan Korean Medicine Hospital visited by the 31st patient, and 13 were reported at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo. At Daenam Hospital, a patient in their 60s with pneumonia symptoms died on the day due to suspected pneumonia. The authorities are investigating whether this deceased patient was infected with COVID-19 and the cause of death. The remaining two cases are still under epidemiological investigation.
56th confirmed patient in Jongno-gu overlaps partially with 29th patient’s movements
Additional investigation into infection route connections ongoing
The 56th confirmed patient in Jongno-gu, Seoul (born 1945, Korean male), diagnosed on the same day, was found to have partially overlapped movements with the 29th patient (born 1938, Korean male), who was confirmed on the 16th. The health authorities stated, "It has been confirmed that the 56th patient visited the Jongno Senior Welfare Center around the end of January," and "We are investigating the connection with the 29th patient."
The 56th patient was diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive at the Jongno-gu Public Health Center screening clinic on the 19th and was admitted to Seoul Medical Center. The 29th patient also resided in Jongno-gu but had no history of overseas travel or contact with existing patients, prompting health authorities to conduct epidemiological investigations tracing movements up to two weeks before symptom onset. During this investigation, it was confirmed that the 29th patient had visited the Jongno Senior Welfare Center.
Director Jung said, "We have identified about 100 contacts of the 29th patient at the Jongno Senior Welfare Center and have been continuously investigating them," adding, "During this process, we confirmed a confirmed patient whose movements matched those of the 29th patient."
Meanwhile, the 40th confirmed patient, a man in his 70s (born 1943), diagnosed the previous day in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, was found to have contacted eight people so far according to health authorities’ investigation.
This patient visited a large supermarket (E-Mart Seongsu branch) in Seongdong-gu by car around 12:30 p.m. on the 10th and stayed there for about an hour. From the 11th to the 13th, he stayed at home. On the 14th, he visited a restaurant in Seongdong-gu (Phobos Enter Six Hanyang University branch, 241 Wangsimni-ro) on foot around 5:14 p.m. and took food to go.
On the 15th, he visited a funeral home in Dongdaemun-gu (Sahmyook Seoul Hospital Funeral Home, 82 Mangu-ro) by car around 11:30 a.m. and stayed for about 20 minutes. He stayed home all day on the 16th and 17th, and on the 18th, he visited a medical institution in Seongdong-gu (Hanyang University Hospital), where he was diagnosed positive and transferred to a nationally designated inpatient treatment bed (National Medical Center).
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