Cumulative Total Surpasses 100... Increasing in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do

Most Additional Cases Reported in Seoul Metropolitan Area
6 New Cases in Seoul, 4 in Gyeonggi Overnight
Cumulative Cases Reach 55 Each

On the 26th, when the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1,000, access to Catholic University Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, was restricted for visitors. The Seoul Metropolitan Government sent an urgent text message to Seoul citizens, stating that one more confirmed case related to Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital was reported the previous day, and at the hospital's request, visitors from February 1st to the present should contact their nearest public health center for medical guidance. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spreads nationwide, the highest increase in a single day since the outbreak was recorded (an additional 334 cases, totaling 1,595). In Seoul and Gyeonggi, where more than 20 million people are concentrated, the additional confirmed cases have not subsided.

According to health authorities on the 27th, additional confirmed cases were reported in most areas surrounding the metropolitan area, including 6 in Seoul, 4 in Gyeonggi, 3 in Daejeon, 4 in Chungnam, and 2 in Chungbuk. Seoul and Gyeonggi recorded cumulative confirmed cases of 55 each, surpassing a total of 100 confirmed cases.

In Seoul, additional confirmed cases are emerging mainly in large hospitals such as Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital. On this day, 4 additional confirmed cases were identified at Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, bringing the total number of cases presumed to be hospital-acquired infections to 11. In Gyeonggi Province, a woman in her 30s working at the Family and Women Research Institute, an institution affiliated with Gyeonggi Province, was confirmed as a case. Public officials and medical staff, who play a frontline role in local quarantine and treatment, have also been diagnosed with COVID-19, raising concerns about gaps in the quarantine system.

According to health authorities, one employee of the Construction Headquarters at the annex of Daegu City Hall was confirmed to have COVID-19 on this day. The annex building 103, where this employee works, was closed after emergency disinfection. Additionally, one employee each from the Palgongsan Natural Park Management Office and the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters were confirmed to have COVID-19. In Jeonju City, at around 2 a.m. on the same day, A (42), an administrative official in the General Affairs Department, was found collapsed and died in his apartment in Hyoja-dong. It was understood that A had been working emergency shifts, foregoing holidays.

Infections among medical staff continue. The Gyeongnam Hanmaeum Changwon Hospital, which had closed due to confirmed cases among medical staff, was closed again just one day after reopening due to a nurse testing positive. At Daejeon Seongse Hospital, a nurse was confirmed positive, leading to cohort isolation of 39 patients and medical staff.