After catching Shincheonji's 'Big Fire'... Sporadic Group Infections Nationwide

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon, Jo Hyun-ui] The domestic situation of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) cases, which seemed to have been brought under control, has entered a new phase. Patients are pouring in from all over the country, centered on multi-use facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and tutoring centers. While focusing on managing Shincheonji Church of Jesus members and their contacts intensively to block large-scale infections, sporadic cluster infections with unidentified infection routes have spread, putting the quarantine authorities and local governments on high alert once again.

Embers Spread Beyond Daegu
Patients Pour Nationwide Centered on Multi-use Facilities
Such as Nursing Homes, Dance Studios, Karaoke Rooms

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and Daegu city on the 6th, nine confirmed cases occurred at Munseong Hospital in Nam-gu, and health authorities are conducting quarantine and epidemiological investigations. At Bundang Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, as of this day, a total of eight people including two nurses, three nursing assistants, and three patients tested positive for COVID-19, leading the hospital to suspend medical services. In Gyeonggi Province, after 10 patients related to Suwon Saengmyeongsaem Church were confirmed, another cluster infection case emerged. In Seoul, 14 patients related to Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital were confirmed, and 13 people tested positive in a mixed-use apartment complex in Seongdong-gu. There are also 10 patients related to Jongno-gu, including those from Jongno Senior Welfare Center and Myeongnyun Church.

Excluding the Shincheonji Daegu Church and Cheongdo Daenam Hospital in Gyeongbuk, the single facility with the highest number of confirmed cases is a Zumba dance studio in Cheonan, Chungnam. As of this day, 81 confirmed cases are related to this location. In Gyeongbuk, adjacent to Daegu, cluster infections occurred mainly in nursing homes and facilities for the disabled. At the Blue Nursing Home in Bonghwa-gun, 49 related patients were confirmed, and 24 patients were linked to the Milal Sarang House, a facility for severely disabled people in Chilgok-gun. The 49 confirmed cases from a group outbreak after returning from a pilgrimage to Israel also reside in this area.

Gyeongsan, designated as the third special infectious disease control area after Daegu and Cheongdo with a cumulative 404 confirmed cases, consists of about 80% Shincheonji members and their contacts, with the rest identified as sporadic cluster infections. Among them, 13 confirmed cases occurred at Seorin Nursing Home in Gyeongsan. Lee Cheol-woo, governor of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, "Confirmed cases are rapidly increasing in nursing homes and other facilities in the province," and added, "We will cohort isolate 581 social welfare living facilities as a preventive measure." The isolation period is from the 9th to the 22nd, during which residents cannot leave the facilities. Additionally, 35 patients related to Oncheon Church in Busan, and related patients at Geochang Church (10), Hanmaeum Changwon Hospital (7), and Dongjeon Karaoke in Changnyeong (7) were confirmed in Gyeongnam.

2 out of 10 Patients from Non-Shincheonji Cluster Infections
Difficulty Identifying Infection Routes Raises Alarm

As the quarantine authorities secure the full list of Shincheonji members nationwide and focus on comprehensive investigations and diagnostic testing, the proportion of cluster infections among cumulative confirmed cases is gradually increasing. As of midnight on the 5th, out of a total of 5,766 confirmed cases, 4,004 (69.4%) were related to cluster outbreaks. This is a 6.1 percentage point increase from 63.3% on the 1st. Among these, Shincheonji-related patients have maintained a level of 56-60% from the 1st to the 5th. However, as the number of sporadic cluster infection patients occurring in other regions increases, the overall proportion continues to rise.

Among cluster infection patients, about 2 out of 10 are infected in spaces other than Shincheonji. In Daegu, where the largest number of patients related to Shincheonji Daegu Church occurred nationwide, the daily additional patient count, which surged to 741 on the 29th of last month, dropped by more than half to 367 as of this day. On the other hand, the daily number of patients continues to increase mainly in other regions such as Gyeongbuk, Gyeonggi, and Chungnam. As of midnight on this day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Korea reached 6,284, an increase of 518 in one day.

Kwon Jun-wook, deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "The quarantine authorities are most concerned about patients occurring in densely populated living facilities, nursing homes, and medical institutions." He added, "The infection links have already spread outside through various routes from Shincheonji members, potentially creating new amplification clusters," and emphasized, "It is a time when not only the quarantine authorities but also other local governments must respond while keeping in mind the worst-case scenario like Daegu."

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