Confirmed Cases from Itaewon, 'Visitors < Contacts'... The Turning Point Keeps Being Delayed

10-Year-Old Incheon Elementary Student Also Infected Linked to Club-Visiting Academy Instructor
2nd and 3rd Wave Transmission Occurs Nationwide

On the 14th, as the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) related to Itaewon clubs increases, citizens and foreigners are lining up to get tested for COVID-19 at the screening clinic of Yongsan-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Mo Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol and Kim Heung-soon] An elementary school student in Incheon tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). This is a third-generation infection transmitted from patient number 102 in the region (age 25), who visited an Itaewon club in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and concealed the fact that he was a private academy instructor.

On the 15th, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon announced that A (10), a 4th-grade elementary school student residing in Songdo International City, was confirmed positive for COVID-19. It was confirmed that A had stayed recently at the same academy as a middle school student who received private tutoring from patient number 102 in Incheon. On the 11th, A showed symptoms of abdominal pain and was tested at the Yeonsu-gu Public Health Center the day before, with a positive result around 11 p.m. As of 10 a.m. on the same day, the number of second- and third-generation infections related to patient 102 had increased to 15. This is the first case involving an elementary school student.

So far, 22 confirmed cases related to the Itaewon club have occurred in Incheon. Among them, three visited the club, and the remaining 19 were additional infections through contact with patients. In Bupyeong-gu, Bugae-dong, a 63-year-old man was confirmed positive the previous night. This patient is the father of a man in his 30s living in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, who visited the Itaewon club and was recently infected after dining with his son at a hotel in Seoul. The 30-year-old man's maternal grandmother (age 84), who dined with them, had previously tested positive. Additionally, a 29-year-old man classified as a contact of an Itaewon club visitor was confirmed positive at the Army Cadet Military School, a military quarantine facility in Goesan, Chungbuk, the day before.

The cluster outbreak originating from the Itaewon club shows that infections among contacts occur faster than among club visitors. Among new patients over four days starting from the 9th, 57 were club visitors and 25 were contacts, but in the recent two days, the numbers reversed to 13 club visitors and 25 contacts. As of the previous day, the cumulative number of club visitors and contacts were 82 and 51, respectively, and this trend is likely to reverse over the weekend.

Data from the Central Disease Control Headquarters

Health authorities marked the 13th as a turning point, considering the incubation period, based on the first reported Itaewon club-related patient, a 29-year-old man residing in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, on the 6th. However, with the rapid increase in second- and third-generation infections and related patients emerging around other entertainment facilities such as pubs near Hongik University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, the critical time point is being postponed.

Professor Lee Jae-gap of Hallym University’s Department of Infectious Diseases said, "The most concerning situation is that asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic confirmed cases among contacts of entertainment facility visitors are creating another amplification cluster in the community," emphasizing, "Rapid diagnostic testing for suspected patients who have not yet been identified or are hidden is crucial."

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 27 new domestic COVID-19 cases were reported, with 22 occurring in regions including Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, and Gyeonggi-do, excluding five imported cases. The number of Itaewon club-related patients increased by 17, totaling 148 cases.

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