'Largest Metropolitan Cluster Infection' Guro Call Center 115 Cases... "Fever Patients in Early February Also Could Not Get COVID Tests"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a call center in Guro-gu, Seoul continues to spread. The Guro-gu call center is the largest COVID-19 cluster infection site in the Seoul metropolitan area. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that the number of confirmed cases related to the Korea Building call center in Sindorim-dong, Guro-gu, stands at 115.

Among the 115 confirmed cases, 82 are employees working in the Korea Building, and 33 are family members and acquaintances of the employees. Of the 82 confirmed employees reported by the health authorities, 80 are from the 11th-floor call center in the Korea Building, one is a call center employee on the 9th floor, and one is an employee of another company working on the 10th floor. Secondary infections among employees' family members and acquaintances are also ongoing, causing the number of related confirmed cases to continue increasing.

Could the 'largest metropolitan cluster infection' have been prevented? There were choices made that caused the community infection spread to miss the 'golden time' (the critical time to save lives during an accident or disaster). In particular, some employees who had symptoms such as fever and sore throat were sent home, and although they visited hospitals afterward, it was found that they were unable to receive COVID-19 tests.

◆ Hospitals' COVID-19 Testing Recommendations 'Passive' = According to the operator of the Guro call center on the 15th, six symptomatic individuals with fever (37.5 degrees Celsius or higher) were identified from February 4 until before confirmed cases appeared this month at the Guro call center, where cluster infections occurred. The company checked for fever twice daily and identified six people with fever during the COVID-19 spread phase: two on February 4, one on February 7, one on February 11, and two on March 2. Among them, the employee who had a fever on March 2 was later confirmed positive for COVID-19.

A COVID-19 cluster infection occurred at a call center on the 11th floor of the Korea Building in Sindorim-dong. On the 10th, quarantine officials from Guro-gu operated a screening clinic for residents in front of the Korea Building in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

At the time of fever detection within the center, those with fever were sent home and visited hospitals. However, all of them were denied COVID-19 diagnostic testing because they had no history of travel to Daegu or overseas, nor contact with Shincheonji. The Guro call center stated that all employees who had fever brought medical certificates and prescriptions, which were checked before they returned to work normally.

A hospital official where a confirmed call center employee visited said, "Since the patient reported no travel to overseas or Daegu/Gyeongbuk regions, it was judged as acute pharyngitis." Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said, "Because the government insists on guidelines that only symptomatic individuals who have visited China or other overseas or high-risk areas (Daegu/Gyeongbuk) are eligible for COVID-19 testing, frontline hospitals are often passive in recommending tests. Hospitals should actively recommend testing for patients with respiratory symptoms to avoid liability."

◆ Mask Non-Wearing and Lunchboxes... Regrettable 'Personal Hygiene' = Health authorities believe that the fact that more than 200 people gathered on one floor and that wearing masks was difficult due to the nature of call center work led to widespread transmission. Son Young-rae, head of public relations at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a briefing on the 10th, "It was confirmed that most employees did not wear masks due to the nature of call center work."

Call center officials lament that they could not force employees to wear masks. A call center company official said, "Although mask-wearing guidelines were issued, employees took off masks during work citing communication difficulties, and there was no way to control this entirely." Some confirmed cases did not strictly maintain personal hygiene, such as bringing personal lunchboxes to the break room and eating lunch with team members despite having respiratory symptoms.

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