CCTV and Card Data Used to Analyze Confirmed Patients' Movements by the Minute, Resembling a Military Operation

Jungdaebon Immediate Response Team 24 Hours

When a new patient occurs, an 8-9 member team is formed
3-4 teams may be dispatched simultaneously
Monitor fever and cough symptoms from one day before
Observe until confirmed and isolated
Disinfect places touched by hands and feet
Decide on classification of contacts for quarantine

On the 7th, the Lotte Department Store Main Branch in Jung-gu, Seoul, where a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection visited, will temporarily close until the 9th. Next to the closure notice, customers wearing masks are leaving the department store. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] "Patient No. 23 stayed at Lotte Department Store from 12:15 to 13:19 on February 2. Spent 17 minutes at the 4th floor Pleats Please store, then 4 minutes at the 1st floor Tax Refund, immediately moved to the basement 1st floor Changhwaru for 17 minutes. Visited Tax Refund again before leaving the department store."

The movement path of the 23rd confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) in Korea is being tracked almost to the minute. The movement path of patient No. 23 is a key clue that allows examination of all possible contact situations and serves as a 'line of defense' in the infectious disease front to minimize additional infections. The process of finding answers must be swift above all. The Central Disease Control Headquarters' Immediate Response Team's actions to quickly identify this patient's movement path right after the patient’s occurrence resemble a military operation.

Confirming Patient Movement via CCTV and Credit Card Transactions

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 10th, when a new patient occurs, an 8-9 member response team is formed and immediately deployed to confirm the patient's movement path. Based on the patient's statements, the team visits places the patient has been or stayed, checks CCTV footage one by one, and cross-references credit card usage details to determine the movement path down to the minute.

Since the novel coronavirus is known to be infectious even in the early stages when symptoms are mild, the Immediate Response Team’s responsibility has become heavier. They must monitor every moment from one day before symptoms such as fever or cough appear until the patient is confirmed positive by virus testing and isolated. They also track places touched by the patient’s hands and feet and are responsible for on-site disinfection work.

They must also identify those who had conversations without masks or stayed together in enclosed spaces for a certain period, classify them as contacts, and decide whether they should be quarantined. In the case of patient No. 23, who was confirmed positive on the 6th after entering the country on the 23rd of last month and stayed domestically for nearly two weeks, 23 contacts have been identified so far, which is a relatively small number compared to other patients (average 70.8 contacts per patient). This is because mask-wearing status was determined during the investigation of past movements.

For patient No. 12, a guide from Japan, the initial investigation identified 138 contacts, but after further investigation, the number increased to 420. This significant increase was because local governments managing self-quarantine contacts decided to include individuals who had not previously been classified as contacts.

On the 3rd, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection continues, quarantine company employees are preparing to disinfect at Shilla Duty Free in Jung-gu, Seoul, where the 12th confirmed domestic patient visited. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Government: "We will expand Immediate Response Teams to 30"

The Immediate Response Teams consist of a pool of about 30 experts including quarantine officers and epidemiologists within the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), which leads the Central Disease Control Headquarters for the novel coronavirus, as well as private sector experts in epidemiology, infectious diseases, and preventive medicine. Including local government personnel, each team consists of 8-9 members. Since they must rush to the site immediately when a patient occurs, epidemiologists and other responsible personnel within KDCA have been on standby since the first patient was confirmed on January 20. This is because patients can appear at any time.

With about 800 people who have either contacted existing patients or recently returned from China and are awaiting test results due to symptoms, vigilance cannot be relaxed. A KDCA official said, "The moment a patient is confirmed, the team moves to the relevant area, checks basic patient status and information through local government officials or health centers, and simultaneously conducts epidemiological investigations and quarantine work on site. If multiple patients occur at once, 3-4 teams may be dispatched simultaneously, so investigations can sometimes take some time."

At a novel coronavirus countermeasure meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun the previous day, it was decided to expand the current 10 Immediate Response Teams to 30 because they are considered the vanguard in preventing the spread of infectious diseases within local communities. Currently, there are about 130 epidemiologists nationwide, including 77 at the central government level. Since this is a specialized field requiring two years of separate training, it is difficult for the government to quickly increase personnel in the short term.

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, "If epidemiologists are present at health centers at the city, county, and district levels and routinely conduct infection source investigations, it will be possible to respond efficiently during outbreaks."

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