[Report] "Grandmother Hiding Residence in Daegu Is Too Selfish" Residents Near Baek Hospital Express Outrage

Hiding Residence in Daegu, Treated at Seoul Baek Hospital... Emergency Room Closure and Major Chaos
Civilians Around Hospital "Very Shocked" and Furious
Jung-gu, Full Effort to Block Community Infection... Police Begin Internal Investigation
Baek Hospital "Thorough Response to All Patients Suspected of Contact with Confirmed Cases"

On the 9th, officials controlled access in front of Baek Hospital in Jung-gu, Seoul, which was closed due to a patient confirmed with COVID-19 who was hospitalized while hiding the fact that they lived in Daegu. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han, intern reporters Juhyung Lim and Juhee Kang] "I was really shocked. How could this happen?"

Residents near Baek Hospital are outraged after a patient (78, female) who was confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was admitted to the hospital while hiding the fact that she lived in Daegu.

◆ "Truly selfish" Citizens around Baek Hospital express outrage... Concerns over additional confirmed cases

On the 9th, citizens interviewed by Asia Economy reporters around the hospital all expressed shock and said they could not understand the situation. A worker, Mr. A (57), whom we met in front of the hospital, said, "That person must have come to the hospital wanting to live, but acting personally during a social emergency seems too much," expressing his anger.

He added, "Although infection with (COVID-19) is unavoidable, I hope patients cooperate as much as possible to prevent transmission."

Another office worker, Ms. B (29), said, "As someone working nearby, I am embarrassed, and I worry even when I go out for lunch because a confirmed case occurred in a place I often visit. I hope this never happens again," she lamented.

Meanwhile, a self-employed person expressed concerns about business sales due to the disclosure of the confirmed patient's movements. Ms. C (30), who said she runs a business near Baek Hospital, complained, "I am worried because starting today, the store will inevitably suffer a hit in sales."

Citizens met at a nearby restaurant also expressed disbelief. Ms. D, a woman in her 50s, said, "I even visited the pharmacy in front of that hospital, and I am very worried if there is any problem," adding, "Not only me but others must be very worried. I don't understand how someone can hide having COVID-19 while being admitted to a hospital."

On the afternoon of the 19th, when a large number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were reported in Daegu, a suspected COVID-19 patient was urgently transported to Kyungpook National University Hospital in Jung-gu, Daegu.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to Baek Hospital, the patient, who is registered as a resident of Daegu, stayed in Daegu and came up to her daughter's house in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 29th of last month. Afterwards, the patient and her guardian hid the fact that they came from Daegu and visited the gastroenterology department of Baek Hospital, where she was treated for symptoms such as vomiting and abdominal pain, and was admitted to the hospital for three days. It is reported that she wrote her residence as "Seoul Mapo" at the time of admission.

On the morning of the 8th at 7 a.m., she was notified of her COVID-19 positive test and was isolated in a negative pressure room, then transferred to another nationally designated hospital in the afternoon. The patient showed signs of pneumonia on a chest CT scan. It is reported that she revealed her actual residence in Daegu to the medical staff only after receiving the positive diagnosis.

Hospital staff and other inpatients who shared the same room with the patient were thrown into great confusion after the confirmed case was identified. The hospital emergency room was immediately closed after the positive diagnosis.

◆ Jung-gu district, full effort to block community infection... Police begin investigation

Seoul's Jung-gu district has launched an all-out response to block community infection. The police have started an investigation into whether the woman made false statements during the medical process.

Baek Hospital, where the confirmed case was found, immediately quarantined medical staff and employees who had contact with the patient. They also prohibited hospital entry and exit, as well as internal movement of employees, including admissions and discharges.

Family members who had contact with the confirmed patient were tested, and medical staff including inpatients and hospital personnel have also undergone specimen collection, with tests being conducted sequentially. Three patients and their families who were in the same ward as the confirmed patient all tested negative.

The emergency room, outpatient areas on floors 1 to 3, and some wards were voluntarily closed. Patients who shared the ward were isolated in single rooms, and other inpatients on the same floor will also be isolated in single rooms as beds become available.

Medical staff, hospital officials, and police are busily moving in front of Baek Hospital in Jung-gu, Seoul, which was closed due to a patient who was confirmed with COVID-19 after being hospitalized while hiding the fact that they lived in Daegu on the 9th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Seoul's Jung-gu district declared a "quarantine focus period" until the 15th to block community transmission of COVID-19 and decided to respond with full force.

Jung-gu established a joint situation room inside Baek Hospital composed of Seoul city officials, Jung-gu public health center staff, and hospital employees, and is conducting in-depth epidemiological investigations including tracking the patient's movements and contact tracing through closed-circuit television (CCTV) with epidemiologists and police.

Also, as part of "social distancing" to avoid contact with others to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, all employees who were on leave except those on emergency care leave returned to work and started emergency duty.

Accordingly, Jung-gu Office plans to conduct disinfection activities not only around Baek Hospital and the Euljiro area but also at multi-use facilities and facilities used by vulnerable groups within the district.

The police have launched an investigation into the woman who hid her residence in Daegu and was admitted to Baek Hospital before being confirmed positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, a hospital official stated, "We will thoroughly respond by collecting specimens from all patients suspected of contact with the confirmed patient as well as medical staff."

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