Jeonbuk's 20th COVID-19 Confirmed Case, Low Possibility of Spread

On the 10th, when Seoul City issued a 'gathering ban order' for all entertainment facilities in Seoul following the COVID-19 cluster infection outbreak originating from Itaewon clubs, a gathering ban notice was posted at an Itaewon club in Seoul known to have been visited by confirmed cases. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Gominhyeong] Jeonbuk Province announced on the 15th that the 20th confirmed COVID-19 patient in the province, public health doctor A, is presumed to have been infected due to a visit to Itaewon, and there is no possibility of additional patients or spread through A.

A (31, male), who tested positive for COVID-19 and has been receiving treatment at Wonkwang University Hospital since the 12th, voluntarily reported his visit to Itaewon on the 5th and was asymptomatic at the time of testing. He also had a history of working as dispatched medical staff in Daegu in April, raising questions about the source of infection.

However, from the early morning of the 14th, the third day of hospitalization, symptoms such as fever, chills, and muscle pain appeared, leading Jeonbuk Province to conclude that A was infected related to the Itaewon visit.

Jeonbuk Province also confirmed that although A visited the infection site as medical staff and treated residents, both A and most patients wore masks thoroughly during treatment, and GPS investigation confirmed no additional movements. Therefore, three colleagues were identified as contacts and placed under self-quarantine.

Furthermore, the province conducted expanded testing on a total of 69 people, including A's contacts and patients with simple contact, for infection prevention. All tested negative, leading to the outlook that there is no possibility of additional confirmed COVID-19 patients or spread through the 20th confirmed patient A.

As of 3 p.m. on the 15th, among 644 visitors from the Itaewon area in the province, excluding the 20th confirmed patient A, 621 tested negative, and 22 are undergoing testing.

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