South Korea confirms 111 cases of coronavirus reinfection

A medical worker at an empty treatment room in Daegu Military Hospital after patients left in good shape on April 9. Yonhap

By Park Si-soo

South Korea has confirmed 111 cases of coronavirus reinfection (as of Sunday noon) with most cases reported in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, two epicenters of the domestic outbreak.

Jung Eun-kyeong, director of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said on Sunday the organization was exploring possible causes of reinfection.

"For now it is uncertain what led to reinfection ― revived virus that survived treatment or fresh exposure to the virus after recovery," Jung said.

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The director said an extensive research was under way and the KCDC would share the result with WHO and other nations battling coronavirus.

Earlier health authorities here have said the virus was highly likely to have been reactivated, instead of the people being reinfected, as they tested positive again in a relatively short time after being released from quarantine.

They also said the COVID-19 virus may remain latent in certain cells in the body and attack the respiratory organs again once reactivated.

A COVID-19 patient is deemed fully recovered after showing negative results for two tests in a row within a 24-hour interval. The country's COVID-19 infections reported 32 additional virus cases, bringing total infections to 10,512.

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