Gyeongnam Province, Best Efforts in Responding to Novel Coronavirus Infection

Establishment of a 24-Hour Testing System

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Woo-kwon] Gyeongnam Province (Governor Kim Kyung-soo) is operating an emergency quarantine task force on a 24-hour emergency response system to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) and is making every effort for proactive response.

Park Sung-ho, head of the Gyeongsangnam-do Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters (Vice Governor), attended the "Government and Local Governments Joint Daily Video Conference" chaired by the Prime Minister, and checked thorough preparedness measures such as securing temporary isolation rooms and patient hospitalization beds in preparation for a large-scale incident.

Under the chairmanship of the Director of the Provincial Welfare and Health Bureau, two "City/County Health Center Directors Meetings" were held on the 21st and 23rd to request active preemptive responses from each city and county.

In addition, the response systems of 20 city/county health centers and 27 screening medical institutions were urgently inspected, and symptomatic individuals were required to use screening clinics to prevent secondary infections. The status of operation of nationally designated negative pressure isolation beds in the province was also checked.

Since the 24th, the Health and Environment Research Institute has established a 24-hour testing system to conduct confirmation tests.

During the Lunar New Year holiday period, one person known to have contacted a confirmed domestic patient and one symptomatic individual under investigation who developed symptoms after visiting Wuhan City, China, were isolated in negative pressure isolation beds and tested. Both were confirmed negative and released from isolation.

Currently, there are no confirmed cases in the province, and 11 individuals under active surveillance with suspected symptoms are being monitored daily for fever and other symptoms by assigned dedicated public officials on a one-to-one basis.

The Gyeongnam Province Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters stated, "For early detection and prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, voluntary reporting by residents who have returned from China and cooperation from the medical community are of utmost importance," and urged, "We hope residents and medical institutions strictly adhere to preventive action guidelines."

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