Nowon-gu Reports 2 New COVID-19 Cases

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] On the 25th, two confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection were reported for the first time in Nowon-gu (District Office Chief Oh Seung-rok).

Oh Seung-rok, the mayor of Nowon-gu, sent a text message to residents saying, “For the first time, a confirmed infectious disease case has occurred in Nowon-gu,” and added, “We have done our best to prevent the spread of the infection, but we regret to bring you this unfortunate news and apologize to all residents.”

According to the district, the first confirmed patient was diagnosed positive around 1 a.m. on the 25th. He is a 42-year-old male residing in Sanggye-dong, and an epidemiological investigation by the response team is currently underway.

Nowon-gu will also quarantine the first confirmed patient and his wife and promptly transfer them to a nationally designated hospital.

According to the infection route identified by the Nowon-gu Public Health Center, the confirmed patient was infected by an instructor while attending sexual harassment prevention training at his workplace in Mapo-gu on the 19th of this month.

On the morning of the 23rd, he experienced fever and cold sweats due to muscle pain, which continued until the early hours of the 24th. After consulting the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (1339), he visited Kim Jae-myeon Internal Medicine near Madeul Station and Mission Pharmacy on the first floor of the same building.

Then, around 1 p.m. on the 24th, he visited the Nowon-gu Public Health Center, where a specimen was collected and tested. On the 25th, the testing agency notified him of a final positive result.

The second confirmed patient is a 45-year-old male residing in Wolgye-dong. He took Tamiflu prescribed at a private clinic on the 14th, but when his fever did not subside, he visited the emergency room at Sanggye Paik Hospital on the 17th.

As his symptoms did not improve, he was tested again at the screening clinic of Sanggye Paik Hospital on the 20th, receiving an indeterminate result (borderline positive, not definitive but possible). A detailed test requested by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency resulted in a negative diagnosis.

However, as fever symptoms persisted on the 23rd, he visited the emergency room at Sanggye Paik Hospital again and then returned to the screening clinic on the 24th for another test, which again resulted in an indeterminate diagnosis.

On the 25th, the Nowon-gu Public Health Center collected another specimen from the patient and sent it to the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment. At around 6:40 p.m. on the 25th, a final positive diagnosis was confirmed, and the patient will be transferred to a nationally designated COVID-19 hospital. Currently, Nowon-gu is operating the COVID-19 Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters 24 hours a day.

If you experience respiratory symptoms such as fever or cough, please contact the Nowon-gu COVID-19 Call Center (☎2116-4342~4) or the 120 Dasan Call Center.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Residents who visited the hospital or pharmacy at the same time as the confirmed patients should contact the Nowon-gu COVID-19 Consultation Call Center,” and added, “We earnestly ask that indoor training sessions and meetings be canceled, and that religious and other large gatherings be suspended.”