A man in his 90s in Pohang died in hospital immediately after testing positive
Welfare worker who cared for grandfather also tested positive
As of midnight on the 17th, cumulative confirmed cases in Gyeongbuk reach 1,455
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Six new cases of community transmission of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Gyeongju and Pohang, Gyeongbuk Province. In particular, the four new confirmed cases in the Gyeongju area are identified as secondary infections related to the Chilgok Sanyangsam (Jangnoesam) business briefing, raising concerns about further spread.
According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 17th, six cases of community infection were recorded the previous day: four in Gyeongju and two in Pohang. As a result, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Gyeongbuk reached 1,455 as of midnight that day. An elderly man in his 80s from Pohang passed away during hospitalization after being confirmed positive, marking the 59th death in the Gyeongbuk area.
In Gyeongju, a man in his 50s, Mr. A, who attended the Chilgok Jangnoesam business briefing and was confirmed positive on the 15th, is understood to have acted as a vector causing four additional infections.
Mr. A’s wife, a woman in her 40s, and their teenage child tested positive after being tested at the Gyeongju Public Health Center following Mr. A’s confirmation. Additionally, a colleague of Mr. A in his 50s and an 80-year-old resident who visited his office were tested at the Gyeongju Public Health Center and received positive confirmation on the 16th.
At the 'Sanyangsam Business Briefing' held on the 2nd at the Pyeongsan Academy Training Center in Chilgok-gun, Gyeongbuk, 34 people attended, of whom 22 were confirmed positive. By region, there were 11 in Gyeongbuk, 3 in Gyeonggi, 2 each in Seoul, Daegu, and Gwangju, and 1 each in Busan and Ulsan. In Gyeongbuk, the number of confirmed cases related to the Chilgok Jangnoesam briefing has increased to 11, including contacts (four confirmed on the 15th).
In Pohang, a woman in her 60s living in Nam-gu was confirmed positive after meeting an acquaintance (Pohang case number 66) who was confirmed on the 14th and showing fever symptoms, following notification as a contact.
Also in Pohang, a single elderly man in his 90s living in Nam-gu, who showed cold symptoms, was discovered by a welfare worker who visited his home for care services on the 15th and tested positive. After being confirmed on the 16th, he was transferred to Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital but ultimately passed away around 6:27 p.m.
Furthermore, the welfare worker in her 60s who discovered the elderly man was classified as a contact and tested positive after being examined at the Nam-gu Public Health Center screening clinic.
As of midnight that day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Gyeongbuk increased to 1,455, up by six from the previous day, and deaths rose by one to 59. Thirty-five confirmed patients are receiving inpatient treatment at six locations including Pohang Medical Center, and two are being treated at residential treatment centers.
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