BTJ Yeolbang Center Total 763 Cases... New Nationwide Cluster Infections Continue (Comprehensive)

On the 15th, when the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection remained in the 500s for the fourth consecutive day, citizens lined up to get tested at a temporary COVID-19 screening clinic set up in Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Although the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea is showing signs of easing somewhat, new confirmed cases continued to emerge across the country on the 17th. Amid ongoing discoveries of confirmed cases linked to medical institutions and religious facilities, new infections, both large and small, are steadily occurring.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 17th, new cluster infections related to nursing homes and private tutoring centers were confirmed in the metropolitan area.

The number of confirmed cases related to the BTJ Yeolbang Center in Sangju, Gyeongbuk, rose to 763 as of 6 p.m. the previous day. There were 7 additional infections.

Among the estimated 3,003 visitors to the center, 248 tested positive, and through these confirmed cases, an additional 515 people were infected across 9 cities and provinces including Incheon, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Daejeon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Gwangju, Busan, and Jeonnam.

Regarding a nursing home in Suwon, Gyeonggi, after the first patient (index patient) was identified on the 15th, 22 more tested positive. Of the total 23 cases, 5 were staff including the index patient, and 18 were residents.

In the case of a private tutoring center in Seongnam, after the first patient was identified on the 13th, 9 additional confirmed cases were found during contact tracing. Among the total 10 cases, 7 were users including the index patient, 1 was a teacher, and 2 were family members of confirmed patients.

Regarding the Sadohaengjeon Church in Suyeong-gu, Busan, 3 more cases were added, bringing the total to 31 confirmed infections. In Jinju, Gyeongnam, 7 more cases were identified during contact tracing at a prayer center, bringing the cumulative total to 102.

At a temple in Yeongam-gun, Jeonnam, 12 additional cases were found during contact tracing, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 25.

Additionally, at Hyojeong Nursing Hospital in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, 12 more cases increased the total to 149, and at a medical institution in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, 3 more cases were confirmed, totaling 21.

Elsewhere, 7 additional cases related to a sauna in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, raised the total to 19, and 6 more cases linked to a residential and nursing facility in Seongdong-gu brought the total to 24.

In the second family cluster case in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, 5 more cases were confirmed during contact tracing, bringing the total to 18.

Meanwhile, the proportion of patients with an unknown infection route, who do not know when or where they were infected, remained at around 23%.

Among the 9,098 new confirmed cases reported from the 4th of this month to the present day, 2,145 cases are still under investigation for infection routes, accounting for 23.6% of the total. This is a 0.1 percentage point decrease compared to the previous day (23.7%).