9 Confirmed Cases in Two Days at Dong-A University Bumin Campus 'Panic'... All Are Out-of-Region International Students

2 Confirmed on 19th, 7 More on 20th... Overlapping Departments, Clubs, and Classes
Only 506 Initial Contacts, Growing Concerns of Campus-Origin Cluster Infection

Citizens are waiting for COVID-19 testing in front of a hospital in Seoul. [Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Seven additional students at Dong-A University Bumin Campus tested positive on the 20th, increasing the total to nine in two days.

After confirmed cases among enrolled students occurred, Dong-A University banned all in-person classes. The number of contacts, including those who tested positive on the first day, was identified as 506, raising concerns about a cluster outbreak. In short, the campus is in a state of ‘panic.’

According to Busan city health authorities on the 20th, eight new confirmed cases were added in Busan during the day, including six students from Dong-A University Bumin Campus.

The total number of confirmed cases related to Dong-A University Bumin Campus reached nine, including one from Gyeongnam. All are students from the same department or club, so the scale of the cluster outbreak could grow larger.

Busan city announced that the total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases increased by eight from the previous day, reaching 378.

The eight new confirmed cases include six contacts related to Dong-A University Bumin Campus and two contacts of confirmed cases from other regions.

The patients numbered Busan366 and 368, who were confirmed on the 19th, were enrolled students at Dong-A University Bumin Campus.

These two students did not know each other; both showed symptoms on the 17th, got tested, and were confirmed positive the next day. Their infection routes have not yet been identified.

One of them lived in a dormitory, while the other was known to be living off-campus.

Among the 506 people tested who had contact with them, 319 were dormitory users where patient 366 lived, 64 were members of 366’s department club, and 317 attended the same classes as the two students, creating a complex network of contacts. Among these, 302 people in Busan had been tested by the previous day, with six confirmed positive.

All nine confirmed students from Bumin Campus, including patient 368, are from regions outside Busan, suggesting that infection may have started or could spread through interregional travel.

The nine confirmed cases at Dong-A University Bumin Campus are from other regions: six from Gyeongnam, two from Gyeongbuk, and one from Ulsan. Among the 319 dormitory users, 116 are from Gyeongnam, 82 from Gyeongbuk, 64 from Ulsan, six from Seoul, and 51 from other areas. It is presumed that students from various regions traveled between their hometowns and the campus, making the cluster outbreak at Bumin Campus a potential flashpoint at any time.

Health authorities are also identifying contacts through restaurant and bar visits. Two restaurants visited by patient 366, where not all contacts have been identified, were disclosed on this day.

Health authorities sent messages requesting consultation at health centers to visitors of the ‘Daepotjip’ pub in Bumin-dong near the campus on the 16th and users of ‘Nidobeer’ on the 16th and 17th.

Dong-A University had been conducting remote classes but started a mix of in-person and remote classes from the 14th. Following the occurrence of infections among enrolled students, the university switched entirely to remote classes from the 19th.