Authorities: "Itaewon Club Local Transmission, 3rd Infection Judgment Not Yet Made" (Update)

As of 12 PM, 119 Confirmed Cases Related to Itaewon
Incheon Twin Siblings and Mother, Private Tutor Confirmed One After Another
About 22,000 Club-Related Diagnostic Tests Conducted

Amid the occurrence of 8 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) linked to the 'Seoul Itaewon club' in the Incheon area, students of Seum Academy and members of Palbok Church are undergoing diagnostic tests at a screening clinic set up at Michuhol-gu Office in Incheon on the 13th. The 8 individuals confirmed positive on this day were identified as contacts of Mr. A, an instructor at Seum Academy located in Michuhol-gu, who visited Seoul Itaewon clubs on the 2nd and 3rd of this month and was confirmed positive on the 9th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Daeyeol] As of 12 PM on the 13th, the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) who visited Itaewon clubs in Seoul and those infected through subsequent community contact was counted at 119. Including 2 additional confirmed cases reported later in Incheon, the total reached 121 as of 2 PM.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, following 18 newly confirmed club-related cases identified the previous day, 8 more cases were confirmed after midnight today. All 8 newly added cases are secondary infections caused by a private academy instructor who visited Itaewon clubs during the recent holiday period. Among them, 6 are students, 1 is a colleague, and 1 is a parent.

Additionally, one newly identified student in the afternoon is one of the twin siblings who received private tutoring from the academy instructor. Both the twin siblings and their mother were infected. One of the twins who was confirmed late had another private tutor who was also confirmed positive this afternoon.

Regarding whether the latest confirmed private tutor is a tertiary infection, health authorities stated that the epidemiological investigation results need to be observed. It is reasonable to consider the 20s academy instructor who visited Itaewon clubs as the 'primary infection' and one of the twins who received private tutoring as the 'secondary infection,' but the status of the other twin and the other private tutor remains tentative.

Amid the occurrence of 8 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) linked to the "Seoul Itaewon club" in the Incheon area, students of Seum Academy and members of Palbok Church are waiting to undergo diagnostic tests at a screening clinic set up at Michuhol District Office in Incheon on the 13th. The 8 individuals who tested positive on this day were confirmed as contacts of Mr. A, an instructor at Seum Academy located in Michuhol District, who was diagnosed positive on the 9th after visiting Seoul Itaewon clubs on the 2nd and 3rd of this month. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Jung Eun-kyung: "Tertiary Infection Status Requires Epidemiological Investigation"…Judgment Deferred
43 Cases of Community Infection Without Club Visits…"Please Get Tested"

At a briefing, Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "We need to conduct an epidemiological investigation to see if the academy instructor’s movement overlaps with others and to check onset dates to confirm the connection. If movements do not overlap or dates do not match, and if infection is attributed to this student, it could be considered a tertiary infection, but currently, the investigation is ongoing."

As of 12 PM, among the 119 confirmed cases related to Itaewon clubs, the largest group is people in their 20s and 30s, totaling 96. There are 11 cases under 19 years old and 3 cases aged 60 or older. By region, Seoul has 69 cases, Gyeonggi Province 23, and Incheon 15. Additionally, 5 cases are reflected in Chungbuk’s count, including 4 soldiers, 4 cases in Busan, and 1 case each in Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam, and Jeju. There are 102 males and 17 females. Among them, 76 were infected directly by visiting the clubs, and the remaining 43 were infected through contact with family, acquaintances, or colleagues within the community.

Regarding the Itaewon club cluster infection, about 22,000 diagnostic tests have been conducted. Some local governments, including Seoul, are conducting anonymous testing to avoid personal information exposure, and the Countermeasures Headquarters decided to expand anonymous testing nationwide starting today.

Director Jung emphasized, "The later the diagnosis and the longer the delay, the more the infection can spread through secondary and tertiary transmission, increasing damage. Early detection of confirmed cases through voluntary testing and blocking secondary infections is the most effective way to stabilize this outbreak early."

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