Korea remains on alert over mass infections of COVID-19
Staff at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, checks doctors with novel coronavirus symptoms at a screening facility, Friday. /Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
The government is on high alert over the soaring number of COVID-19 infections at medical institutions and nursing homes, as it struggles to identify the vector for the spread of the virus, officials said Friday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 309 new cases as of 9 p.m. Friday, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 6,593.
On Thursday alone, Korea reported 518 new cases.
Among the 518, 69 percent of the confirmed cases were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here, while 49 new cases have been identified stemming from the Pureun Nursing Home in Bonghwa, a long-term care facility in North Gyeongsang Province.
With the latest infections occurring at medical facilities, health officials in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said a general hospital in the city has temporarily halted operations after eight staff members and patients there were diagnosed with COVID-19.
The health authorities have not yet discovered the exact route of the spread of the virus to the hospital, but said a 77-year-old woman who visited the emergency center there Sunday with pneumonia symptoms seems likely to have been infected and may have inadvertently infected staff. Virus outbreaks at medical facilities are particularly dangerous as many patients there have compromised immune systems.
The KCDC said that 44 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying diseases, have so far died from the virus. One more fatality, an 80-year-old man with diabetes, was reported in Daegu, but that was not included in the official update.
A mass outbreak of the coronavirus at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province has also been the focus of grave concern, as 118 cases and seven resulting deaths have been confirmed there.
Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul had to halt operation after an employee was infected with the highly contagious virus. Another 14 infections are said to have followed. The KCDC said the hospital will resume operating next week, if the 2,700 people there, including doctors and nurses, test negative for the virus.
The Milal Love House, a facility for people with physical disabilities, in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, reported 24 confirmed cases after its first infection Feb. 24. The KCDC said it has placed all people who may have been exposed in quarantine.
Earlier, Asiad Hospital, a nursing hospital in Busan, also said that two staff members were infected, although the remaining 300 employees and patients have all tested negative for the virus.
“The health authorities are closely watching the situation in Gyeongsan, as the government designated the region the nation's third special care zone. The central government will provide more medical resources and staff to this and other zones,” said KCDC director Jung Eun-kyeong during a regular press briefing at the Government Complex in Sejong.
Meanwhile, the Community Chest of Korea (CCK) said Friday that it has decided to return 12 billion ($10.1 million) won donated by the Shincheonji Church to support anti-virus efforts. The church made the donation as part of an apology for its part in spreading the virus in Korea, however the CCK said that it will return the money due to the intense and widespread public anger regarding the religious sect.