[COVID-19 1 Year] 20 People Died Without Hospital Care... Highest Daily Cases at 1,240

COVID-19 by the Numbers

Editor's NoteExactly one year ago, on January 19 last year, our quarantine authorities stopped a woman at Incheon Airport. She was traveling from Wuhan, China, through South Korea to Japan, and was stopped because she had a fever. A few days earlier, an unknown pneumonia had spread in the Wuhan area, and our authorities were on high alert. Over the past year, more than 70,000 people have been infected domestically, and over 1,200 have lost their lives. The pandemic has brought our society to a halt and completely changed daily life. We looked back on the past year through numbers related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 19th, medical staff are collecting specimens at a temporary screening clinic for COVID-19 set up at Seoul Station Plaza. The 20th marks exactly one year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in South Korea. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

18

Number of confirmed cases of overseas variant viruses detected domestically since late last month. There are 15 cases of the variant first reported in the United Kingdom, 2 from South Africa, and 1 from Brazil. Of these, 13 are presumed to have been infected overseas, while the remaining 5 were infected domestically. Coronaviruses naturally mutate frequently, and recent variants found in various countries abroad are known to have up to 70% increased transmissibility.

20

Number of COVID-19 patients who died at home over the past year. They died waiting at home due to lack of available hospital beds or were isolated without knowing they were infected. It is the state's constitutional duty to cure diseases and protect citizens from illness, but these patients passed away without even setting foot in a hospital. There are also cases of people who died during transport, a high school student who died because the hospital refused admission citing suspected COVID-19 and thus did not receive timely treatment, and dozens of elderly people who died confined in long-term care hospitals lacking adequate medical equipment or staff under the pretext of preventing virus spread. It is not the time to boast that the fatality rate is only 1.74% (as of the 18th).

In late last month, a COVID-19 confirmed patient was being transferred by ambulance to a designated central hospital from a nursing hospital in Guro-gu, Seoul. The virus inevitably infiltrates facilities where elderly patients with underlying conditions gather in groups, such as nursing hospitals. Many patients were infected and died here.

1240

The highest number of confirmed cases in a single day. On December 24 last year, 1,240 people were confirmed positive in one day. At that time, large and small cluster infections spread nationwide, including at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center. Considering that the highest daily cases during the first wave centered on Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu and Gyeongbuk was 909 (February 29 last year), and during the second wave from Sarang Jeil Church and downtown rallies was 441 (August 28), the scale of the third wave is considerable.

5213

Number of confirmed cases related to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. This is the largest single cluster in the country. Although the initial infection route was not identified, authorities estimate that the virus had already spread widely among church members for 3 to 4 weeks before the first confirmed case on February 18 last year. Even after Shincheonji, cluster outbreaks centered on various churches have continued. The Sarang Jeil Church cluster (1,173 cases) ranks third in number of cases, and the BTJ Yeolbang Center cluster ranks fourth.

Lee Man-hee, the president of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), is speaking at a press conference related to the COVID-19 situation held on March 2 at the Shincheonji Palace of Peace in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

BTJ Yeolbang Center in Sangju-si, Gyeongbuk. A large-scale COVID-19 cluster infection has erupted.

7992

The number of personnel dispatched by the government for on-site COVID-19 response including diagnostic testing and patient treatment (cumulative as of the 17th). There are 2,671 doctors, 3,378 nurses, and 822 nursing assistants. Additionally, 1,121 military personnel and trainee public officials have joined the field to support administrative tasks such as inputting epidemiological investigation results. During the first wave in February-March last year, medical staff nationwide voluntarily rolled up their sleeves, and similar efforts have continued during subsequent major outbreaks. Private medical organizations have also recruited public health medical support teams to maintain a system that can dispatch medical personnel wherever needed at any time.

6,248,342

The cumulative number of diagnostic tests conducted domestically. This roughly corresponds to one in every eight people in South Korea, or one test per four households, to check for COVID-19 infection. Including tests conducted upon patient discharge and paid tests by the general public without symptoms, the actual number is several times higher. When the government promoted K-quarantine, the foremost point was the proactive and extensive diagnostic testing. However, since the widespread adoption of less accurate testing methods, opinions among experts have diverged. Encouraging inaccurate tests can lead to false negatives (infected individuals testing negative), which may cause these patients to spread the virus further in the community.

On the 19th, medical staff at the temporary screening clinic for COVID-19 set up at Seoul Station Plaza were thawing disinfectant that had frozen solid overnight. The 20th marks exactly one year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in South Korea. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@