Different Companies in the Same Building, Positive After 14-Day Quarantine... Various COVID-19 Infection Patterns

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Various cases of confirmed COVID-19 patients are emerging, such as new confirmed cases from neighboring companies in buildings where confirmed cases have been reported, or close contacts of confirmed patients testing positive after 14 days of self-quarantine.

On the afternoon of the 8th, Gangnam-gu, Seoul announced that a man in his 50s living in an apartment in Daechi-dong became the 13th confirmed COVID-19 case in the district. This man runs a plant design company in the Gasan Digital Complex, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. He was classified as a close contact after an employee of a neighboring company tested positive on the 6th. He entered self-quarantine from the 7th of this month, underwent testing, and was confirmed positive on the morning of the 8th.

According to epidemiological investigations, the company where this patient is the representative is on the same floor as the neighboring company where a confirmed case had previously been reported. Therefore, it was revealed that they usually used the same elevator and restroom.

The patient reported to the quarantine authorities that he had symptoms of fever, cough, and sputum since the 6th. Based on the epidemiological investigation, the Gangnam-gu Public Health Center classified three family members and one friend of the patient as close contacts, conducted tests, and ordered self-quarantine measures.

Gangnam-gu also required 119 residents from 32 households in the apartment building where this confirmed patient lives in Daechi-dong to undergo specimen testing regardless of symptoms. Additionally, disinfection was carried out in the apartment building and surrounding areas, as well as at Korean restaurants, billiard halls, wine bars, and other key locations frequented by the patient.

Gangnam-gu isolated and hospitalized this confirmed patient at the municipal Boramae Hospital on the afternoon of the 8th and is conducting a detailed epidemiological investigation together with Seoul city epidemiologists.

Gangnam-gu also announced that after a 56-year-old male office worker living in an apartment in Apgujeong-dong tested positive at the Dongjak-gu Public Health Center on the 7th, specimen tests were conducted on his family and 197 apartment residents, and one restaurant was disinfected. This office worker had previously been classified as a contact of a confirmed case and developed symptoms after completing 14 days of self-quarantine. He works at a workplace located in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. After a colleague tested positive, he entered self-quarantine from February 21, returned to his home in Apgujeong-dong on the 6th of this month, and tested positive on the 7th.

As of 5 p.m. on the 8th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases reported by each autonomous district in Seoul is at least 125 (including 12 residents living outside Seoul). This number is 5 more than the 120 cases counted by Seoul city as of 10 a.m. on the 8th or the 120 cases counted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of midnight on the 8th. Differences in confirmed case counts among basic local governments, metropolitan governments, and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may occur due to reporting and aggregation processes, patient reclassification, and time lags.

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