[Q&A] "Asan Hospital Confirmed Case Likely Not the Initial Source of Infection at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The quarantine authorities have stated that it is difficult to consider the 9-year-old child who tested positive for COVID-19 at Seoul Asan Medical Center as the initial source of the cluster infection that occurred at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, said at a regular briefing on the afternoon of the 1st, "The 9-year-old child had underlying conditions such as headaches regardless of the symptom onset date," and added, "We do not consider the child as the initial source of infection."

The child visited Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital on the 25th of last month, then received treatment at the pediatric emergency room of Asan Medical Center on the 26th, and was admitted to the pediatric ward of the hospital the following day. Although the COVID-19 test conducted on the day of admission was negative, the child was retested on the 31st due to the history of visiting Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, where a cluster infection occurred, and tested positive.

At Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, 13 confirmed cases have been reported among inpatients, medical staff, and patients' families since the 29th of last month. An epidemiological investigation is underway regarding the infection link with the child who visited the hospital earlier, but the authorities' position is that it is difficult to consider the child as the initial source of infection. The quarantine authorities have cohort-isolated 43 inpatients who had contact with the child at Asan Medical Center. Fifty-two medical staff tested negative and have entered a two-week self-quarantine.

Below is the Q&A with Director Jung Eun-kyung regarding confirmed cases at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital and Asan Medical Center

- Recently, infections have occurred multiple times at hospitals designated as National Safe Hospitals. Although pre-visit testing is mandatory for intensive care units or emergency rooms, there is controversy over its effectiveness, such as the 9-year-old child at Asan Medical Center testing negative before admission.

▲ It is difficult for hospitals to screen patients when there are no respiratory symptoms or fever. Epidemiological investigations on patient cases at both hospitals are underway. After reviewing the results, we will consult with the medical community to identify areas for improvement in patient recognition and hospital infection control processes and devise measures. Currently, many screening tests are conducted before ICU admission or in emergency rooms. The 9-year-old child was tested during the emergency room visit but was negative. Since the incubation period is 14 days, it is believed that it was difficult to detect a positive case at the emergency room if the child tested positive later during this period. We will also gather investigation results and medical opinions on how to screen suspected patients and prepare countermeasures.

- What is the status of the epidemiological investigations at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital and Asan Medical Center?

▲ Epidemiologists from the city/province and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters are conducting joint investigations. At Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, infections mainly occurred in the emergency room and the 8th-floor ward where pneumonia patients were admitted. The hospital is temporarily closed, and testing is underway for all medical staff and patients. Based on the test results, we plan to estimate the infection routes and sources. At Asan Medical Center, since the 9-year-old child was admitted through the emergency room, exposure is mainly considered to have occurred in the inpatient ward. Comprehensive testing and epidemiological investigations are ongoing for inpatients, guardians, and medical staff. Cohort isolation has been implemented for patients admitted to the same ward, and medical staff and guardians are under self-quarantine while testing and investigations proceed simultaneously.

- The symptom onset date of the 9-year-old child is estimated to be around the 24th. If the child visited Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital on the 25th, can the child be considered the initial source of infection at the hospital?

▲ The symptoms observed on the symptom onset date in the 9-year-old child were headaches and other underlying conditions that existed prior. It is necessary to confirm through further epidemiological investigations whether these were symptoms caused by COVID-19. Therefore, at this time, it is difficult to consider the child as the initial source of infection at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital. Investigations on the schedules and infection routes of both hospitals need to be conducted.

- Is there any change to the existing plan to end the high-intensity social distancing on April 5 and transition to a daily quarantine system on April 6?

▲ The timing of ending or extending high-intensity social distancing and transitioning to a daily quarantine system requires review and discussion with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and others. However, we continue to develop and discuss specific guidelines on what the daily quarantine system entails and what lifestyle rules individuals and sectors should follow to reduce large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks. We are making the infection prevention rules more concrete and creating practical behavioral guidelines and institutional support systems that can be implemented in daily life. The timing of the transition to the daily quarantine system will be announced after internal consultations within the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

- There have been repeated statements that "if the increase in patient numbers does not slow down, it is necessary to extend high-intensity social distancing." What factors make the transition to the daily quarantine system difficult?

▲ It is not a situation that can be judged solely by the number of patients. Even if new patients occur, it is necessary to consider whether they are managed within the authorities' quarantine network, whether they are within a controllable range, and whether the infection routes are identified. We need to continuously assess whether the occurrence is at a manageable level. Based on such criteria, we plan to determine the timing of the transition to the daily quarantine system.

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