Patient No. 31 Hospitalized for 57 Days... Authorities Say Symptoms Like Recurrent Pneumonia Persist (Update)

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The quarantine authorities announced that the 31st confirmed patient of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea "shows signs of recovery but is experiencing recurring pneumonia."

On the afternoon of the 14th, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19, said at a regular briefing, "Regarding patient number 31, I contacted the attending physician at Daegu Medical Center this morning to check the situation, and it was confirmed that the patient was in a severe condition upon admission."

Patient number 31 is a member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu and was the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the Yeongnam region, including Daegu, on February 18. As of today, the patient has been receiving treatment at Daegu Medical Center for 57 days, making them the longest hospitalized patient among confirmed cases in South Korea.

Deputy Head Kwon explained, "According to overseas cases and literature, mild COVID-19 patients typically recover completely within 1 to 2 weeks and can be released from isolation, but severe patients may require treatment for 3 to 4 weeks. Considering this, it is still necessary to make further assessments before concluding that patient number 31 has been hospitalized for an unusually long period."

According to the quarantine authorities, among confirmed COVID-19 patients in South Korea, about 4.9% have been hospitalized for more than 50 days, including patient number 31.

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