Increase in COVID-19 Cluster Infections Outside Shincheonji... 26 Cases Related to Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Recently, with the consecutive confirmations of COVID-19 cases among Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials, the cluster outbreak rate of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Sejong increased to 90.8% as of midnight on the 13th. The proportion related to Shincheonji, which accounted for most domestic COVID-19 cases, has slightly decreased to 59.9%.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a regular briefing held at the Osong Disease Control Headquarters in Chungbuk on the same day, "The full investigation related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church in Daegu and Gyeongbuk areas has been completed, and related confirmed cases have decreased, but cases among the general public continue to be identified."

The place with the highest number of confirmed cases the previous day was Daegu (61 cases), followed by Sejong with 17 cases. The increase in the number of patients in Sejong is related to the confirmed cases among Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials.

Head Jung explained, "So far, 26 confirmed cases related to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries have occurred," adding, "24 are Ministry employees and 2 are their family members." Among the 24 confirmed cases at the Ministry, 23 work on the 4th floor and 1 works on the 5th floor.

Head Jung said, "It is considered 'intra-floor transmission' occurring among several departments working in an open space, and the 5th-floor worker likely had contact with other employees," explaining the infection route as, "Since they share indoor spaces, it is currently judged to be transmission through droplets and contact."

However, he said, "It is still necessary to investigate further to confirm who the index patient is and where the infection started." The government is currently conducting an epidemiological investigation targeting Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries employees, and contacts are being instructed to self-isolate.

Head Jung explained, "79.8% of domestic COVID-19 confirmed cases have been confirmed to be related to cluster outbreaks, and 59.9% of the total are related to Shincheonji." He also diagnosed, "Many cluster outbreak cases related to medical institutions, multi-use facilities, workplaces, and churches are being reported."

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