173 Cases of Re-Positive After Self-Quarantine Release... TK 74.0% (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The number of patients who tested positive again for COVID-19 after being released from self-quarantine was found to be 173.

On the 18th, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing held at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in Osong, Chungbuk, "As of midnight today, the total number of cases testing positive again after self-quarantine is 173."

Among patients who tested positive again after being released from self-quarantine, three out of four cases occurred in Daegu and Gyeongbuk. Daegu Metropolitan City had the highest number with 72 cases, followed by Gyeongbuk with 56 cases, and Gyeonggi with 14 cases, accounting for 74% (128 cases) in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions alone.

Deputy Director Kwon explained, "In the special management areas of Daegu and Gyeongbuk, additional testing is conducted after self-quarantine release depending on the local government, so some selective bias may be involved," adding, "We are currently investigating."

He continued, "We are proceeding with several possibilities, such as whether some remaining fragments of the virus were amplified, whether the host's immunity was weakened and antibodies were not properly formed leading to reactivation after self-quarantine, or whether it is necessary to verify false positives that can occur due to testing errors or statistical reasons," and said, "Because we are considering various possibilities, it takes time."

Deputy Director Kwon said, "Many clinical experts suggest that these are likely fragments of a specific virus that are non-infectious or have reduced infectivity, appearing during the amplification process of the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test," and added, "We are reviewing various aspects."

He added, "Even after the quarantine is completely lifted, we have taken measures such as supplementing related guidelines and strengthening health education to encourage an additional 14 days of voluntary self-quarantine."

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