Countries Where COVID-19 Spread Has Subsided Show Signs of Cluster Infections

Increased Spread Speed After Germany's Lockdown Easing
Local Infections Occur in China's Jilin and Hubei Provinces
Local Infection Spread Centered on Itaewon Clubs in Korea

German meat processing company conducted diagnostic tests on employees after a cluster infection occurred at the slaughterhouse / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Juhyung Lim] Concerns are growing that a second wave of COVID-19 could spread as cluster infections have emerged in countries where the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) had slowed down.

On the 10th (local time), according to the British media 'The Guardian,' German health authorities recently announced that the basic reproduction number (R0) of COVID-19 has risen again to 1.1, exceeding 1.

R0 refers to the number of people infected by one patient; if this value exceeds 1, the number of confirmed cases can increase. On the 6th, Germany's R0 had dropped to 0.65, but after easing lockdown measures, it has again surpassed 1.

Meanwhile, in various places such as Stuttgart and Munich in Germany, thousands gathered to protest against the lockdown orders, and in Berlin, police were deployed to maintain distance between participants in anti-lockdown protests.

An employee holding a sign that says "Wear a mask and prohibit gatherings" at a temple in Beijing, China / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, in China, the daily number of confirmed cases recorded double digits again for the first time in 10 days.

According to statistics from the National Health Commission of China, among the 14 new confirmed cases reported that day, 12 were domestic infections, with 11 from Shulan City in Jilin Province and 1 from Wuhan in Hubei Province.

In Shulan City, it was confirmed that a woman in her 40s with no history of overseas travel or exposure to infection transmitted the virus to her three sisters and husband, infecting her family. Accordingly, the COVID-19 risk level in the area was raised from medium to high risk. Local health authorities closed all public places including gyms, cinemas, and swimming pools.

In Wuhan, the first confirmed case appeared after 36 days since April 4th of last month.

On the same day in South Korea, the daily number of confirmed cases exceeded 30 for the first time in 28 days since the 9th of last month. Among the new confirmed cases, 26 were infected within the community.

Previously, after patient number 66 in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, was confirmed positive on the 6th, local infections spread after the patient visited clubs located in Itaewon, Seoul.

Regarding this, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon explained in an interview on the 11th with KBS 1TV radio program 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs,' "We secured the names of 5,517 visitors to the (Itaewon clubs), excluding duplicates, and as of the afternoon of the previous day, we have contacted 2,405 people. The rest either provided false information or are deliberately not answering calls. We are cooperating with the police to identify additional contacts."

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