Korea hails 50% recovery rate in fight against coronavirus
Red Cross workers prepare emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities for delivery to impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, Friday, March 27, 2020. AP
The government said Saturday that it has achieved a 50 percent recovery rate for people infected with the new coronavirus, a feat that underscored the importance of aggressive testing, quarantine and social distancing in the fight against COVID-19.
South Korea has released 4,811 fully recovered COVID-19 patients from hospitals as of Saturday, up 283 from a day earlier, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
This marked the first time the number of recovering people exceeded the number of quarantined patients ― which stood at 4,523 ― since Jan. 20, when the virus was first detected on South Korean soil.
"The 50 percent recovery rate is a small achievement that all in our society should celebrate, though we have a long way to go," Yoon Tae-ho, director-general for public health policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said in a briefing.
Yoon, who is in charge of anti-infection efforts at the country's disaster control headquarters, attributed the achievement to aggressive tests, epidemiological surveillance and social distancing, as well as medical treatment of patients by doctors and nurses.
South Korea has strengthened social distancing through April 5 to contain the spread of the virus that has killed 144 people, mostly in the country's southeastern city of Daegu and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province.
Yoon also warned against complacency in dealing with the coronavirus and asked people to practice strengthened social distancing, saying it is time to clearly reduce cluster infections in local communities and facilities housing many people. (Yonhap)