"Club-Related COVID-19 Cluster Worse Than Shincheonji Outbreak"

A gathering ban notice is posted at the Itaewon club in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where confirmed COVID-19 cases visited on the 10th amid a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus. In response, Jaegab Lee, a professor of infectious diseases at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, expressed concern, stating, "The cluster infection originating from the club is in a worse situation than during the Shincheonji outbreak." Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seulgi] Amid a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a club in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Jaegab Lee, a professor of infectious diseases at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, expressed concern, stating, "Cluster infections originating from clubs are more difficult to trace than those from the Shincheonji outbreak, and in some cases, the lists are even inaccurate, making the situation worse."

On the 11th, during an interview on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Professor Lee said, "Although there were some hidden lists in the case of Shincheonji, it was possible to identify the full list. However, in the case of clubs, people gathered from all over the country, and they are not members of any particular group," he explained.

Professor Lee continued, "Several infected individuals gathered and mingled inside the club, leading to the spread of the virus to many others. In the Shincheonji case as well, it was not just one person at the beginning, but several people who contributed to the spread. The current situation is similar, so this means that anyone who visited clubs or bars in Itaewon around April 26 could potentially be at risk."

He added, "With Shincheonji, there was an accurate list. Although it was not provided quickly and some names were missing, the existence of a list allowed for a comprehensive investigation and immediate quarantine measures."

However, Professor Lee also noted, "There is still some hope because, during the Shincheonji cluster infection, people were not even familiar with the term 'social distancing.' Now, although we have transitioned to 'everyday distancing,' social distancing has been maintained to some extent," he said. "When infected individuals went to their workplaces or other places in their daily lives, there were controlled situations where they wore masks."

He expressed hope by adding, "If only these measures were properly followed, the chains of cluster infections might be broken in the middle."

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