Ministry of Environment Completes Disposal of 7 Tons of Medical Waste from New Coronavirus... "Same-Day Incineration Principle"

Minister of Environment Jongmyung-rae / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Environment announced that it has processed a total of 7 tons of medical waste from confirmed cases, and temporary living facilities for Wuhan evacuees in Jincheon and Asan, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) in South Korea.

On the 6th, Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae held a luncheon meeting at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, and reported on the status of medical waste disposal related to the novel coronavirus.

As of the 4th, the Ministry of Environment has completed the disposal of a total of 7,630 kg of medical waste related to the novel coronavirus. Specifically, 1,766 kg of medical waste from confirmed patients, 264 kg of waste generated when self-quarantined individuals converted to confirmed cases, and 5,600 kg of waste from temporary living facilities for evacuees.

Medical waste from confirmed patients is immediately placed in dedicated containers at hospitals, double-sealed, disinfected, and then incinerated.

For self-quarantined individuals, if symptoms do not appear, waste is double-sealed in dedicated bags and volume-based waste bags, and collected by local governments. However, if symptoms appear, the waste is placed in dedicated bags and containers provided by health centers, collected by the Environmental Agency, and processed at medical waste incineration facilities.

Waste generated from temporary living facilities for evacuees is all placed in dedicated bags and containers and processed at medical waste incineration facilities. Locations visited by confirmed patients are disinfected by health centers before waste is collected and disposed of. Minister Cho emphasized, "Waste from confirmed patients is processed on the principle of same-day incineration."

Additionally, Minister Cho stated, "Many confirmed patients visited places such as movie theaters and department stores," and added, "Even if confirmed patients did not visit, we have recommended that disinfection and sterilization be conducted at multi-use facilities and that waste be double-sealed when disposed of."

Minister Cho also introduced that, as part of the response to the novel coronavirus, the Ministry of Environment has taken measures to restrict the import of suspected host animals such as bats, snakes, raccoons, badgers, and civets. According to the Ministry of Environment, no individuals of suspected vector animals have been imported from China this year.

Minister Cho said, "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 75% of diseases such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and Ebola originate from wild animals," and added, "To enhance our capacity to manage wildlife diseases in connection with human diseases, we will activate the 'Wildlife Disease Management Center' and respond actively."

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