Four Nurses at Samsung Seoul Hospital in Gangnam-gu Test Positive for COVID-19

Four Nurses Working in Thoracic Surgery and Obstetrics Operating Rooms at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Tested Positive for COVID-19 on the 18th and 19th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Four nurses working in the thoracic surgery and obstetrics and gynecology operating rooms at Samsung Medical Center in Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, were confirmed positive for COVID-19 over two days on the 18th and 19th.

Accordingly, Gangnam-gu and the hospital decided to temporarily close the third-floor operating rooms of the main building at Samsung Medical Center for three days starting today.

A 29-year-old nurse working in the third-floor operating rooms of the main building had a mild fever and sore throat symptoms since the 16th and entered self-quarantine. However, due to persistent high fever of 38 degrees Celsius and coughing symptoms, the hospital conducted an internal specimen test on the morning of the 18th, and she was confirmed positive yesterday afternoon.

After the nurse's positive diagnosis last night, Gangnam-gu conducted emergency tests on 38 medical staff and 15 surgical patients who had contact in the third-floor thoracic surgery operating ward. As a result, three more nurses working in the obstetrics and gynecology and thoracic surgery operating rooms were also confirmed positive for COVID-19 this morning.

The 40-year-old second confirmed nurse experienced muscle pain symptoms from the afternoon of the previous day and left work early. The 24-year-old third confirmed nurse had a persistent sore throat for a long time, while the 30-year-old fourth confirmed nurse was asymptomatic.

It was revealed that these four nurses participated together in surgeries in the C zone of the third-floor operating rooms, including thoracic surgery and obstetrics and gynecology. So far, 19 surgical patients who underwent surgery with them have been identified, and additional contact patients are being investigated.

Currently, there are 101 people in self-quarantine, including 24 patients and 77 medical staff, and 277 people are subject to COVID-19 testing to determine infection status.

Among them, 265 have completed testing; three nurses were additionally confirmed positive, 160 tested negative, 102 are awaiting test results, and 12 are scheduled for testing today.

It is expected that the number of people in self-quarantine and those subject to testing will increase depending on the epidemiological investigation results of the additional confirmed cases.

Among the 15 surgical patients who had contact with the first confirmed case that occurred the previous day, seven hospitalized patients tested negative, and the remaining eight discharged patients are scheduled for testing today.

Gangnam-gu and the hospital are expanding testing to all medical staff belonging to the third-floor operating rooms and those dispatched to the operating rooms. They are conducting a detailed epidemiological investigation in cooperation with Seoul city epidemiologists on the three additional confirmed cases to identify the initial source of infection.

Samsung Medical Center has closed all 25 operating rooms on the third floor of the main building, including zone C where the nurses participated in surgeries. Starting today, they will not accept new inpatient admissions for three days and will take additional measures based on the epidemiological investigation results.

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