COVID-19 Patients' Cohabitants and Healthcare Workers to Undergo Diagnostic Testing Upon Quarantine Release

11-year-old Patient No. 32 Tests Positive After Four Tests One Day Before Release from Isolation

The emergency room at Hanyang University Hospital in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, where a COVID-19 patient without a history of overseas travel was confirmed on the 19th, is closed. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Going forward, some individuals in isolation, such as cohabitants of patients who have been quarantined after contact with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), will be required to undergo diagnostic testing even if they show no symptoms before being released from isolation after two weeks.

On the 19th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that it has revised the COVID-19 response guidelines to reflect this change, which will be applied to local governments starting from the 20th. Accordingly, among contacts of confirmed cases, even if asymptomatic, healthcare workers, caregivers, and cohabitants of patients must undergo a COVID-19 test on the 13th day of isolation and receive a negative result to be released. Testing is also required if epidemiological investigators determine it necessary. Until now, if there were no symptoms such as fever or cough during the isolation period, individuals were released without additional testing.

Additionally, patients suspected of infection based on medical judgment are encouraged to undergo testing actively, even if they have no history of overseas travel. The guidelines also include provisions to guide diagnostic testing in negative pressure rooms or single rooms when patients with pneumonia of unknown cause appear. Director Jeong Eun-kyung explained at a briefing that this is "to more clearly define patients with unexplained pneumonia who require hospitalization based on a doctor's opinion, allowing for proactive isolation and testing."

Meanwhile, the newly confirmed 32nd patient (11-year-old female, daughter of Patient No. 20) tested positive after four tests conducted just before her scheduled release from isolation on the 20th. This patient was also a contact of Patient No. 15, confirmed on the 2nd, and tested negative at that time. After her mother, Patient No. 20, was confirmed positive three days later on the 5th, she was tested again and remained negative. She tested negative once more two days later on the 7th. Finally, a test conducted one day before her release, two days before the scheduled end of isolation, returned positive.

Director Jeong stated, "During the self-isolation period, she had sputum symptoms which did not significantly change, so intermediate testing was not conducted. Testing was performed due to persistent sputum symptoms, which confirmed the positive result." She added, "Since she had the most contact with her mother, Patient No. 20, we consider the exposure from Patient No. 20 highly likely."

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