For symptomatic individuals with cough, fever, etc., immediate testing is available at public health centers... Informational posters detailing screening clinic locations and operating hours distributed to local hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) is conducting a large-scale free screening test to detect COVID-19 patients early and prevent the spread within the community.
In response to the large-scale spread of COVID-19 since November, the district has expanded testing personnel and is conducting extensive publicity to enable all residents showing cold symptoms such as cough and fever to receive screening tests promptly.
The reason Jungnang-gu is focusing all efforts on COVID-19 screening is that the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the district, which was 210 by the end of October, increased by 58 additional confirmed cases in November alone.
This number nearly equals the combined total of 42 cases in September and 21 cases in October.
With the full onset of winter approaching, asymptomatic confirmed cases nationwide account for 40% of all confirmed cases, and young people in their 20s and 30s make up 28%, raising concerns about a third wave of the pandemic becoming a reality.
In this crisis situation, the district’s top priority is the safety of its residents, and with the College Scholastic Ability Test approaching on December 3, Jungnang-gu is committed to providing a safe testing environment for examinees, which is why it is putting all efforts into COVID-19 prevention.
To this end, the district has significantly increased screening personnel from 33 to 67 and is simultaneously promoting awareness about COVID-19 types.
According to a type analysis conducted on November 22 of 222 confirmed Jungnang-gu residents, COVID-19 symptoms such as fever (46%), muscle pain (39%), and cough (35%) were found to be very similar to those of common colds or influenza.
Because of this, the district recognized the importance of informing residents that COVID-19 can easily be mistaken for a cold. To this end, screening test guide posters containing information on virus infection symptom types, the location of the Jungnang-gu Public Health Center screening clinic, and operating hours have been distributed to local hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, encouraging residents to actively participate in screening tests.
This proactive response reflects Jungnang-gu’s determination to prevent the virus in advance through thorough management by alerting the public that the situation is more dangerous due to silent transmission and small-scale cluster infections centered around academies, saunas, and multi-use sports facilities, without triggering a large-scale outbreak.
Additionally, to proactively respond to the spread through a major winter outbreak, the district has expanded on-site epidemiological investigation personnel from 10 to 40, conducting meticulous monitoring to do its best to block further virus spread.
Jungnang-gu has distributed a total of 150,000 masks mainly at local public facilities such as community centers, welfare centers, libraries, and food markets, and has formed an on-site testing team for vulnerable groups, conducting proactive COVID-19 testing since August for about 340 elderly people using day and night care facilities, receiving high praise from residents.
Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi of Jungnang-gu said, “Despite the dedication of Jungnang-gu residents who actively participated in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the spread continues, which is very regrettable. We urge everyone to visit the public health center screening clinics even for mild respiratory symptoms. Jungnang-gu will do its utmost with rapid and proactive screening tests and swift quarantine measures to protect residents from the spread of COVID-19.”
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