[Q&A] "Among 3 confirmed cases at Nonsan Training Center, 1 has a high possibility of retesting positive"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been confirmed that all three new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases identified at the Nonsan Army Training Center in Chungnam are Shincheonji believers. Among them, one person is considered highly likely to be a re-positive case.

On the 18th, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, announced this during a regular briefing held at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in Osong, Chungbuk. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, a total of three confirmed cases have been reported among trainees who entered on the 13th.

The first confirmed case was a man in his 20s from Changwon, Gyeongnam, and the other two are residents of Daegu.

Deputy Director Kwon said, "Among the three, the man residing in Gyeongnam tested negative in two tests conducted before his self-quarantine was lifted on the 1st of last month," adding, "We judge that one of the three confirmed cases has a certain possibility of being re-positive."

He continued, "Regarding the three confirmed cases at the Nonsan Army Training Center, we will conduct further epidemiological investigations and separately announce additional details once they are organized."

◇Below is a Q&A with Deputy Director Kwon

- Do all trainees undergo COVID-19 testing before admission?

▲ Currently, among those entering the Nonsan Army Training Center, residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk are being checked for Shincheonji membership. Even if not confirmed, infected individuals are being screened using a pooling test method, which mixes multiple specimens and tests them at once.

- The number of re-positive cases after quarantine release increased by 10 from the previous day to 173. Why did it increase by 10 in just one day?

▲ First, even after quarantine is lifted, many cases of re-positivity have emerged, especially through local governments, leading to additional testing. Since the scale of quarantine releases is large, re-positive cases are discovered during the process of conducting additional tests.

Overall, because the number of people released from quarantine is large, many re-positive cases are being found. Among various possibilities such as virus isolation and culture, verification and professional analysis are conducted promptly to clearly communicate the meaning of re-positivity and to prevent anxiety about overall quarantine measures.

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