Confirmed Cases Spread Nationwide... Can Cluster Infections Be Prevented?

COVID-19 Resurgence Emergency

One Week Since Patient No. 66 in Yongin
8 of 19 Contacts in Incheon Confirmed
20s in Busan Transmit to 1-Year-Old Nephew
3 More Cases in Military... Total 14 Additional Cases
"Young People Need to Change Their Lax Awareness"

[Asia Economy Reporters Yang Nak-gyu, Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon] On the 13th, marking one week since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 linked to Itaewon clubs, secondary infections have emerged nationwide, including in Incheon, Busan, and Gyeongnam. The concerns of health authorities, who viewed the 5-7 days following increased travel during the holiday period as critical, have become a reality.

One Week Since Itaewon Cluster Confirmed
Spreading to the Largest Scale in the Seoul Metropolitan Area?

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters and local governments, the number of confirmed cases related to Itaewon clubs rose to 126 by the morning of this day. In Incheon alone, 8 new cases were confirmed, along with 2 in Busan, 1 in Geoje, Gyeongnam, and 3 in the military testing positive. For comparison, the Seoul Guro-gu call center, which was the largest cluster infection in the metropolitan area, recorded a total of 166 infections since March.

The issue with the Itaewon club cluster infection is the increasing number of secondary infections within local communities. Among the new confirmed cases in Incheon, there is a case of a private academy instructor who is believed to have been infected at the Itaewon clubs on the 2nd or 3rd and subsequently transmitted the virus to students and parents. This instructor gave lectures at the academy on the 6th, the day the cluster was first confirmed, and conducted private tutoring the following day. Some of the students confirmed positive on that day had attended church and engaged in other community activities, raising concerns about further spread.

In an emergency briefing, Park Nam-chun, Mayor of Incheon, stated, "The instructor's statements regarding visited locations and movement routes were inaccurate, so we requested police to check location data. Upon re-investigation, it was confirmed that the instructor gave lectures at the academy and private tutoring." He added, "Among 19 contacts, 8 have been confirmed positive."

In the photo, Park Nam-chun, Mayor of Incheon (center), is holding an emergency press conference on the morning of the 13th at Incheon City Hall in Namdong-gu, Incheon, explaining the situation of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) originating from Itaewon clubs in Seoul.

As health authorities and local governments urge those who visited Itaewon clubs to undergo extensive testing, sporadic cluster infections in local communities have made containment more difficult. Each time a new case emerges, contacts and movement paths must be identified and isolation measures enforced. However, increased social interactions during the holiday period, when social distancing was temporarily relaxed, likely led to more contacts.

Authorities have warned that "one infected person can transmit the virus to dozens or hundreds," fearing covert transmission. The case confirmed in Incheon serves as a warning that the containment network can collapse rapidly.

On the 12th, Yongsan-gu Public Health Center officials are conducting disinfection work at the club 'Made' in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Spreading Beyond Metropolitan Area to Busan, Gyeongnam, Military Units
"Focused Campaign Needed for Young People"

In Busan, a club visitor infected family members. A man in his 20s who visited a club during the holiday is believed to have infected his 60-year-old father and 1-year-old nephew. The man visited Itaewon clubs and returned to Busan on the 3rd, remaining active in the community for over a week until his confirmation on the 11th. He visited his own home, workplace, his parents' home, and nearby tourist spots.

In Geoje, Gyeongnam, a person who had contact with a Busan patient who visited Itaewon clubs was confirmed positive on this day. Additionally, three soldiers in their 20s stationed at the Army Cadet Military School in Goesan, Chungbuk, tested positive. They were contacts of a military officer from the Cyber Operations Command who was confirmed positive on the 7th and had been staying at the same facility. Initially testing negative, they later tested positive upon retesting. None of these cases involved visiting clubs, representing secondary community infections.

Among recruits at military training centers, 45 trainees who visited Itaewon entertainment venues were newly identified. Including 32 who voluntarily reported on the 10th, the total number reached 77. The previously reported 32 tested negative.

Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Infectious Diseases Department at Korea University Guro Hospital said, "Tracing is focused on those who visited Itaewon clubs and their contacts, but the problem is that this is a 'race against time.'" He added, "Young people in their 20s tend to think of COVID-19 as a mild illness that passes quickly, so a focused campaign targeting young people is necessary."

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