[Q&A] 62 Confirmed Cases at Daegu Jamieju Hospital... Fatality Rate for 80s Rises to 15%

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] As group infections continue to occur in nursing hospitals and psychiatric hospitals with many elderly patients, the fatality rate of people in their 80s due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has risen to 15%.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 27th at midnight that the domestic COVID-19 fatality rate is 1.49%, and among 428 patients aged 80 and over, 65 have died, resulting in a fatality rate of 15.19%. The fatality rate for patients aged 80 and over was 13.94% as of the previous day.

In addition, the fatality rates by age group were 6.51% for those in their 70s, 1.79% for those in their 60s, 0.57% for those in their 50s, 0.08% for those in their 40s, and 0.1% for those in their 30s, decreasing as age decreased. There have been no deaths among those aged 20 and under so far.

Gwak Jin, head of the patient management team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing held at the Osong Disease Control Headquarters in Chungbuk on the same day, "There are currently a total of 81 confirmed COVID-19 patients in severe or higher stages," adding, "There are 25 patients in severe condition and 56 in critical condition." Compared to the previous day, the number of severe patients decreased by one, while the number of critical patients remained the same.

Team leader Gwak explained, "Among the critical patients, there is one in their 20s and two in their 40s, and two in their 40s are in severe condition," adding, "Compared to the previous day, one additional critical patient in their 40s was added."

As group infections continue in facilities where many patients are hospitalized together, such as nursing hospitals and psychiatric hospitals, and the fatality rate is rising mainly among the elderly, health authorities are on alert. In Daegu, after one inpatient at Jamieju Hospital in Dalseong-gun tested positive on the 26th, tests were conducted on 355 employees and patients, resulting in 60 patients and one caregiver testing positive, confirming a total of 62 patients so far.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at the briefing, "So far, 81.8% nationwide have been confirmed to be related to group outbreaks," explaining, "54.5% are related to the Shincheonji group outbreak, and 15.6% are related to hospitals or nursing hospitals." Other cases occurred among contacts of confirmed patients at 11.3%, and 14.9% of cases are still under investigation.

- The nursing hospital in Daegu where confirmed patients were found is managed by cohort isolation. However, since single rooms are not used, patient infections are repeated. Are there additional measures?

▲ In the Daegu area, after the outbreak caused by Shincheonji Church of Jesus, group outbreaks centered on nursing hospitals have continued. Nursing hospitals and psychiatric hospitals use multi-bed rooms, making management difficult. Even confirmed patients require caregiving, making isolation difficult. For confirmed patients, several dedicated hospitals have been secured to support caregiving and nursing staff for management. For other exposed patients, efforts are being made to secure separate isolation hospitals, and if difficult, the hospitals will secure enough rooms to enable single rooms or cohort isolation using partitions. We are coordinating and implementing measures suitable for the facilities and community status with Daegu city.

- You mentioned that the decision on school reopening would be based on overseas cases such as Singapore, but Singapore experienced group outbreaks immediately after reopening. How do you view the Singapore situation, and could it be similar domestically?

▲ The group infection cases in Singapore schools were not among students but among teachers, staff, and their families, and self-quarantine and testing measures are underway. There is concern about group infections in schools in Korea as well, and exposure at schools could lead to community transmission. To minimize school safety risks and community infection concerns, strong social distancing measures are being implemented. The risk level in the community relates to school crisis, so we will work to reduce community risk during the remaining period. The Ministry of Education and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will consult based on patient occurrence trends and risk analysis. We are preparing guidelines, manuals, environmental improvements, securing hygiene supplies, teacher education, and epidemiological investigation protocols for safe school management upon reopening.

- When investigating Daesil Nursing Hospital on the 20th, why was Jamieju Hospital in the same building not proactively investigated? Regarding the group infection at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, it was said that infection spread due to a drinking game at a dinner party when the first confirmed case appeared. Was such behavior found during the epidemiological investigation?

▲ Regarding Jamieju Hospital, as you pointed out, there was a group outbreak at Daesil Nursing Hospital on the 20th, and on the same day, a full investigation of Jamieju Hospital staff was conducted. Since staff could transmit infection while entering and exiting, the staff investigation was conducted first, and all tested negative. Afterward, monitoring of patients was conducted during the incubation period, and about three showed symptoms; one tested positive on the 24th. The investigation was expanded to additional contacts, increasing the number of confirmed cases. We will check if there were any problems with the investigation or management. It is not that the investigation was not done; the staff investigation was conducted first. We have not received reports regarding the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. It is likely related to events before confirmation, and we will verify the facts. Currently, social distancing is in place, and policies prohibit unnecessary dinners or gatherings. Face-to-face meetings are replaced with video or phone calls as much as possible, and unnecessary dinners are prohibited.

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