Professor Lee Jaegap: "Stopping the Situation in Daegu Is Our Country's Last Chance to Survive"

Professor Lee Jae-gap of Hallym University Department of Infectious Diseases appeared on tbs radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on the 24th and said, "Focusing all efforts on the Daegu area to control the situation there may be the last chance to save the entire country at this point."/Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Professor Jaegap Lee, an infectious disease specialist at Hallym University, warned on the 24th, "Focusing all efforts on the Daegu region to control the situation there might be the last chance to save the entire country at this point."

Professor Lee appeared on tbs radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' that morning and emphasized, "Wuhan is a city of about 10 million people, and Hubei is a province with about 50 million people, and the situation is exactly the same as in our country."

He continued, "However, if Daegu is not controlled, just as Hubei worsened after Wuhan, Daegu's deterioration could lead to the worsening of the entire country," reiterating his warning.

He added, "In many hospitals in the Daegu region, especially those that can admit inpatients, (COVID-19) patients or staff have been infected. The entire Daegu area is in a state where general medical care is quite difficult, and with the partial paralysis of screening clinics, patients have started seeking medical care outside the region."

Professor Lee stressed, "The screening clinics in Daegu need to recover quickly, and since confirmed patients are waiting due to a lack of hospital beds, Daegu must recover swiftly to reduce the impact on other regions."

Regarding the criticism about the shortage of screening clinics in Daegu, Professor Lee explained, "It takes some time to establish screening clinics, so for now, we are expanding services within public health centers. Discussions are underway with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, and Daegu City to prepare facilities capable of examining tens to hundreds of patients per day starting this week."

He continued, "Currently, patients are spreading nationwide due to the Shincheonji outbreak. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that Shincheonji church members can properly come for medical examinations. We must quickly isolate anyone even slightly suspected and minimize damage within Daegu. The structure inevitably leads to increasing deaths, so the system must be restored to allow treatment for deaths and severe patients."

Regarding residents of the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, Professor Lee said, "It is most important to refrain from going out, cancel all public gatherings and meetings, and stay at home. Symptomatic individuals should first contact 1339 to confirm where to go as screening clinics are gradually recovering. This will allow them to receive medical care without cross-infection with other patients."