Among 4 New Confirmed Cases, 3 Are 'Contacts'... Concerns Over Expansion of 2nd and 3rd Generation Infections

Patients 20 and 22 Are Family Members of Existing Patients
Patient 21 Had Contact with Patient 6, Who Was Secondarily Infected
Over 170 Symptomatic Individuals Under Investigation
Additional Patients May Emerge in Large Numbers

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On the 6th alone, four new patients of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) were confirmed in South Korea, raising concerns that secondary and tertiary infections through contact with existing confirmed cases might surge. Among the new patients, three had a history of contact with previous confirmed cases, making it highly likely that symptoms appeared due to such contact.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that as of 8 a.m. on the day, four additional novel coronavirus patients were confirmed domestically. Three of them are Korean nationals who are contacts or family members of previously confirmed cases, and the remaining one is a Chinese woman who entered the country for tourism purposes. The total number of confirmed cases in South Korea has increased to 23, including patient number 2 who was discharged on the 5th. Notably, the number of daily confirmed cases domestically is the second highest after five cases on the 31st of last month.

The 20th confirmed patient is a 41-year-old Korean woman. She tested positive during a test conducted while under self-quarantine on the 5th and is currently isolated at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. She is a family member of the 15th confirmed patient (43-year-old Korean man). The 15th patient operated a store called "The Place" at the Korean Pavilion in the Wuhan International Fashion Center in Wuhan, China, and was confirmed to have been on the same flight as the 4th confirmed patient when returning from Wuhan on the 20th of last month. The 20th patient is currently presumed to be a secondary infection from patient number 15.

The 21st patient is a 59-year-old Korean woman. Like the 20th patient, she was confirmed positive through a test conducted during self-quarantine on the 5th and was admitted to an isolation ward at Seoul National University Hospital. This patient is a contact of the 6th patient (55-year-old Korean man), who was confirmed as the first secondary infection case domestically, raising suspicion of tertiary infection. The 6th patient had previously dined with the 3rd patient (54-year-old Korean man).

The 22nd patient is a 46-year-old Korean man and a family member of the 16th confirmed patient (42-year-old Korean woman) who was confirmed on the 4th. He tested positive through a test conducted while under self-quarantine and was isolated at Chosun University Hospital. This patient, along with patient number 16 and the daughter who was confirmed positive on the 5th (patient number 18), traveled to Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand, and returned on the 19th of last month, raising suspicion of secondary and tertiary infections.

The 23rd patient is a 58-year-old Chinese woman. She entered South Korea on the 23rd of last month for tourism purposes. After a health center investigation confirmed she had a fever, a test was conducted, and she was confirmed positive on the day. She is scheduled to be admitted to a nationally designated isolation ward.

As a result, the number of patients suspected or confirmed to have secondary or tertiary infections among domestic confirmed cases has increased to 11. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the total number of contacts of novel coronavirus patients was 956 as of the morning of the previous day. Among them, more than 170 were 'investigated symptomatic individuals' who showed suspected infection symptoms and underwent testing. The possibility of a large number of secondary and tertiary infections cannot be ruled out. Health authorities stated, "Epidemiological investigations and quarantine measures are currently underway for additional confirmed patients," and "Information from epidemiological investigations will be disclosed as soon as it is confirmed."

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