Practical 'Pandemic' Concerns... Health Authorities May Raise Alert Level to Serious

More than 9,000 confirmed cases in China alone
Over 1,500 in critical condition, deaths expected to rise
7 in Korea, 14 in Japan, 6 in the U.S., etc.
Patients reported in 20 countries worldwide

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi, Reporter Choi Dae-yeol, Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international emergency over the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), raising global concerns about the risk of a pandemic. Since the outbreak in China on December 12 last year, the number of confirmed cases in China has exceeded 9,000 over about 50 days, and patients have been reported in 20 countries worldwide, indicating that the risk of a pandemic has significantly increased.

Experts are urging governments worldwide to respond strongly, as this is a crisis situation requiring global cooperation. In Korea, concerns about community spread have grown as three additional confirmed cases were reported over the past two days. There is also interest in whether the infectious disease alert level will be raised to a level equivalent to a social disaster situation.

◆ The speed of patient increase is accelerating = On the 31st, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) announced that as of midnight, 1,982 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported across all 31 provinces in one day. The number of newly added deaths also reached 43. Among these, 42 deaths were in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak. So far, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in China is 9,692, with 213 deaths.

Among them, 1,527 patients are in critical condition, so the number of deaths is expected to continue rising rapidly. Notably, the number of new confirmed cases and deaths reported the previous day set a record high since the outbreak began. The number of confirmed cases has been increasing daily by thousands: 2,744 on the 26th, 4,515 on the 27th, 5,974 on the 28th, 7,711 on the 29th, and 9,692 the day before.

A police bus carrying Korean residents from Wuhan, China, is departing from Gimpo Airport on the 31st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The number of suspected cases is also increasing exponentially. So far, 15,238 people have been classified as suspected cases, indicating that the number of confirmed cases is likely to continue rising. The number of close contacts of infected individuals is 113,579, of whom 102,427 are currently under medical observation.

Although countries worldwide are blocking transportation links with China, the global infection trend is accelerating. Outside mainland China, there are 28 confirmed cases in Chinese-speaking regions: 12 in Hong Kong, 7 in Macau, and 9 in Taiwan. Excluding Chinese-speaking regions, the Asian countries with the most confirmed cases are Thailand (14), Japan (14), Singapore (13), Australia (9), Malaysia (8), and Korea (7). In Europe, Italy has been added as an outbreak country, with France (6), Germany (5), and Finland (1) totaling 14 confirmed cases. In North America, 6 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. Confirmed cases have also been reported in the Middle East, including 4 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

◆ Will the highest crisis alert level be issued? = Following WHO's declaration of an emergency, attention is focused on whether Korean health authorities will implement additional measures. The WHO Emergency Committee did not recommend restricting international travel or trade but advised affected countries to strengthen quarantine measures to prevent further cases and to cooperate on identifying the cause and developing treatments.

The Korean government is operating the Central Disease Control Headquarters and raised the infectious disease alert to the caution level on the 24th, when the fourth confirmed case was identified. Currently, a pan-governmental incident management team has been formed to respond with full force. The sixth confirmed case, reported the day before, was a secondary infection patient who had not traveled to China, and with the seventh case confirmed on the same day, the scale of monitoring for contacts has expanded.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (right), Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), is holding a press conference with Michael Ryan, Head of the Emergency Response Team, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 30th (local time).

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, if an imported infectious disease spreads to the community or nationwide, the alert level can be raised to the severe stage. In that case, a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters would be established, and government-wide response measures would be strengthened. If the situation is classified as a social disaster, the budget and manpower allocated would also increase accordingly. However, since the current response is already at a sufficiently strong level, there is concern about causing excessive public anxiety.

Jung Hong-geun, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention participated in the Emergency Committee meeting and discussed the situation. Specific additional measures will be decided through consultations at the Central Disease Control Headquarters." Lee Seon-gyu, Director of Crisis Analysis and International Cooperation at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "Health authorities are already responding proactively at a level equivalent to an emergency. If there are areas to strengthen further, measures will be taken."

◆ Young patients in their 20s and 30s are emerging one after another = The seventh confirmed patient, identified on this day, is a 28-year-old Korean man who entered Korea through Incheon Airport on the 23rd after traveling from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, via Qingdao City, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This patient had a slight cough on the 26th, cold symptoms on the 28th, and from the 29th developed fever (37.7°C), cough, and sputum, prompting him to report to the public health center. He was confirmed positive the previous evening and isolated at Seoul Medical Center. The fifth patient, confirmed the day before, was also a 32-year-old Korean man. Until now, except for the first confirmed patient who was a Chinese woman, all domestic patients were in their 50s, but recently younger patients have started to appear one by one.

Jeon Byung-yul, former Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dean of the Graduate School of Health Industry at CHA University, said, "This situation is not limited to China but has become a crisis that the whole world must respond to. The declaration of an emergency is a message for all countries to prepare thoroughly and to activate all health care systems. The international community must respond jointly."

An ambulance is leaving Seoul Gimpo Airport on the morning of the 31st, when Korean residents arrived from Wuhan, which was locked down as the origin of the novel coronavirus infection. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

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