Cluster infections spreading outside the metropolitan area and unknown-source patients... 39 new COVID-19 cases reported (Update)

At a seminar held by a multi-level marketing health product company, mainly attended by elderly people, a large number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have emerged. Currently, the confirmed cases are company employees and product sellers, and no cases have yet been reported among seminar attendees. However, nearly 200 people are subject to testing, and since most attendees are elderly, there are concerns about further spread among high-risk groups. The photo shows the entrance of the "Richway" office in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 4th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] On the 5th, 39 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were reported. Among them, 34 cases were in the Seoul metropolitan area, 2 in Gyeongbuk, and 1 each in Daegu and Chungnam. There was also 1 case confirmed during the quarantine stage.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19, as of midnight on that day, 34 cases were classified as locally transmitted, and 5 cases were classified as imported. All confirmed cases in Seoul and Incheon were community transmission cases. The increase in new confirmed cases is attributed to sporadic cases such as cluster infections through church small group meetings and additional transmissions, as well as cluster infections at door-to-door sales companies.

The daily number of new confirmed cases (39) is at the same level as the previous day. As the number of infection clusters increases in the densely populated metropolitan area, the number of subjects under follow-up management is also increasing, so the trend of increasing patients is expected to continue for the time being. Since June, a total of 200 confirmed cases have been identified up to this day, averaging about 40 cases per day. This figure is close to the criterion of 'fewer than 50 new confirmed cases per day,' which is one of the standards to maintain social distancing in daily life, also known as the daily life quarantine system.

The confirmed patient in Chungnam is a woman in her 60s living in Asan, who had previously visited the door-to-door sales company Richway in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, where the first patient was confirmed on the 2nd. This cluster involves many elderly people, raising concerns about worsening symptoms or fatalities, causing the quarantine authorities to remain vigilant. In Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk, a female teacher in her 20s at a boarding school was confirmed positive, and students were sent home while switching to remote classes. The route of infection is currently under investigation.

On the previous day, 17,102 diagnostic tests were conducted, bringing the cumulative number of tests to 990,960. There were no deaths reported on that day, and the number of patients in isolation increased by 32 to 889 compared to the previous day.