COVID-19 Cases Remain at '0' for Five Consecutive Days... Up to 3 Patients Scheduled for Discharge (Comprehensive)

On the 15th, residents in front of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon-gun, Chungbuk, are seeing off Wuhan evacuees who have completed their quarantine.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] No new domestic cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been reported for five consecutive days. The cumulative number of confirmed cases remains at 28, and the number of discharged patients has increased by two, bringing the total to 9, as they prepare to leave the hospital. Additionally, one more patient has seen pneumonia symptoms disappear.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the 15th at 4 p.m. that no new domestic COVID-19 cases have been reported, maintaining the cumulative confirmed cases at 28. This update includes the situation from 9 a.m. to noon. Since the 28th patient (born in 1989, Chinese national) was confirmed on the 10th, no new cases have been reported for five days. According to the briefing criteria for disclosing confirmed cases, it has been four days since the 11th. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters releases updates on domestic COVID-19 cases twice daily at 10 a.m. (based on 9 a.m. data) and 5 p.m. (based on 4 p.m. data).

◆ Patients 7 and 22 Released from Isolation... Discharge Imminent= As of 4 p.m. on this day, the number of discharged patients among existing confirmed cases remains at 7. Patients numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 11, and 17 have been declared recovered and discharged. Additionally, patients 7 (born in 1991, Korean nationality) and 22 (born in 1973, Korean nationality) were released from isolation today.

COVID-19 patients are released from isolation if 48 hours have passed since symptoms disappeared and two consecutive real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests conducted 24 hours apart return negative results. This constitutes a recovery declaration. The attending medical staff then make the final decision on discharge, considering underlying diseases and aftereffects.

KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyung stated, "Patient 7 is scheduled to be discharged today, and discussions with the hospital are ongoing regarding patient 22's discharge, which is expected shortly." With these two added, the total number of discharged patients will increase to 9.

Patient 7 returned from Wuhan, China, on January 23 and was confirmed positive on January 30, receiving isolated treatment at Seoul Medical Center. Patient 22 is a secondary infection case, a family member of patient 16 (born in 1977, Korean nationality), who was confirmed after traveling to Thailand and other places. Patient 22 was confirmed positive on February 6 and transferred to Chosun University Hospital.

◆ Patient 28, Subject of 'Incubation Period Controversy,' Also Symptom-Free= Patient 28 (born in 1989, Chinese national), who was at the center of the incubation period controversy, has tested negative twice, and health authorities are reviewing the possibility of releasing her from isolation.

Director Jeong said, "Patient 28 underwent three tests after hospitalization. The first test on the 12th was inconclusive (borderline between negative and positive), but the second and third tests on the 13th and 14th were confirmed negative." She added, "Currently, there are no symptoms or signs of pneumonia. The schedule for isolation release and discharge will be decided after discussions with the Central Clinical Task Force."

This patient was isolated and treated at Myongji Hospital. She is an acquaintance of patient 3 (54-year-old Korean male), who was confirmed on January 26. Both entered Korea together from Wuhan on January 20. Classified as a close contact of patient 3, she was under self-quarantine from January 26 and was confirmed positive on February 10.

It took 17 days from the last contact with patient 3 on January 25 to the confirmation of infection. Since this exceeds the known maximum incubation period of 14 days for COVID-19, there has been debate in Korea about whether the isolation period for this infectious disease should be extended beyond 14 days.

On the morning of the 15th, at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon-gun, Chungbuk, a Wuhan evacuee who completed a two-week quarantine is waving out the window from inside a bus. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Number of Symptomatic Individuals Continues to Rise... Health Authorities Urge "Maintained Vigilance"= As of this afternoon, 7,706 suspected cases with symptoms such as fever and cough who have traveled to COVID-19 outbreak countries, including China, have been reported. This is an increase of 215 from 7,491 in the morning. Among them, 7,148 tested negative, and 558 are still undergoing testing.

Although the number of confirmed cases has slowed and recovered patients have increased, the government maintains a stance of vigilance. Kim Kang-lip, Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Vice Minister of Health and Welfare), said at the regular morning briefing, regarding whether to lower the crisis alert level, "It is a time that requires careful observation of the disease's spread or occurrence patterns," and "We are not considering adjusting the alert level."

The infectious disease crisis alert is managed in four stages: interest, caution, warning, and severe. The government raised the alert level to "warning" on January 27 due to concerns about community spread of COVID-19. Deputy Head Kim emphasized, "It is very fortunate that no confirmed cases have been reported domestically for several days, but the situation in China still requires considerable caution. The trend of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries, which have relatively frequent exchanges with us, is also a risk factor that prevents us from lowering our guard."

Meanwhile, among the Korean nationals who returned from Wuhan and stayed at temporary living facilities in Asan, Chungnam, and Jincheon, Chungbuk, 366 first evacuees (193 in Asan, 173 in Jincheon) were discharged this morning. They boarded buses prepared by the government joint support team and were transported to five regions: Seoul, Daegu-Yeongnam, Chungbuk-Daejeon-Honam, Gyeonggi, and Chungnam, from where they headed to their homes or places of residence in Korea.

A total of 702 Koreans (including voluntary admissions) returned via the first and second temporary flights (charter flights) from Wuhan. Except for two confirmed cases during admission, 700 people will leave the temporary living facilities over two days. The second group of 334 evacuees to be discharged on the 16th includes one father who voluntarily admitted himself to care for two children who entered without guardians. All 700 evacuees and their families who are being discharged have undergone diagnostic testing and were confirmed negative.

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