"Confirmed COVID-19 Case in XX-dong" Spread of Patient Information on the Internet

On the 31st, a document containing personal information such as the residence and partial names of patients infected with the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) was circulated on internet communities. The accuracy of the information contained in the document has not been verified to date. Photo by Yonhap News Agency and reader contribution

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Documents presumed to contain personal information such as the residence and partial names of patients infected with the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) have been circulated on the internet.

On the 31st, a photo of a document containing information about the fifth confirmed case was posted on an online community starting from the afternoon of the previous day (30th).

The document, titled 'Report on Contacts of Confirmed Cases of the Novel Coronavirus,' contains personal information of the confirmed patient and their contacts.

The ages of two individuals and the first and last characters of their three-character names, excluding the middle character, are written, and their residences are specified down to the neighborhood level.

On the afternoon of the 29th, medical staff are entering the waiting room of the screening clinic for suspected patients of the novel coronavirus infection at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The government has announced that the function of the National Medical Center will be shifted to focus on treating patients with the novel coronavirus infection, known as 'Wuhan pneumonia.'
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the confirmed patient, details such as the period of stay in China, reporting method, and progress of active monitoring are included, while for the contacts, daily life activities accompanying the confirmed patient are described.

Information in the document such as the confirmed patient's age, date of entry, and a history of asthma symptoms matches the information previously disclosed by authorities.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters currently states that they cannot confirm the authenticity or source of the document.

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