Domestic 'Unexplained Pneumonia' Cases Unrelated to China-Origin Pneumonia

On the 9th, employees of the National Quarantine Station under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency conducted thermal imaging body inspections on passengers arriving from China at the arrival hall of Terminal 1, Incheon International Airport. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, one suspected patient showing symptoms of "pneumonia of unknown cause originating in China" has been identified for the first time in the country.
Yeongjongdo ? Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It has been confirmed that the 'unknown cause pneumonia' cases occurring in Korea are not related to the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China.

On the 11th, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that after conducting a Pan-Coronavirus test on patients who showed pneumonia symptoms after visiting Wuhan, China, no novel coronavirus?the pathogen responsible for the Wuhan pneumonia?was detected. The Pan-Coronavirus test can detect infections from all types of coronaviruses.

Based on these test results, the KCDC decided to discharge the symptomatic patients after expert consultations including their primary physicians and ended monitoring of their contacts. Additionally, considering that no human-to-human transmission cases have been confirmed and no new cases have occurred since the 3rd of this month, quarantine measures and other responses will be maintained at the current level.

Previously, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in China reported that 41 patients with unknown cause pneumonia were confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus. Among them, a man in his 60s was declared dead on the 9th due to cardiac arrest, and seven patients were reported to be in critical condition. Meanwhile, two patients showed improvement and were released from isolation and discharged, and the remaining patients are still under isolation treatment but are reported to be in stable condition.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.