[Summary] Park Won-soon: "Different from Park Geun-hye Government... Samsung Hospital Cohort Isolation Unnecessary"

"MERS Secrecy and Lack of Communication Made It Worse"
"Park Geun-hye Government Did Not Disclose Samsung Hospital Doctor's Positive Case"
"Now Government and Local Authorities Cooperate Closely in Response"

Mayor Park Won-soon of Seoul [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Four nurses at Samsung Seoul Hospital tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), while Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon expressed the opinion that cohort isolation is unnecessary, unlike during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015.

During the MERS outbreak, nearly half of all patients (91 out of 186) were from this hospital alone, leading to the temporary closure of major wards within the hospital. Cohort isolation is a measure that involves sealing off a medical institution where patients have occurred for a certain period to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Mayor Park said in an interview on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 20th, "At that time (MERS), the situation worsened due to secrecy and lack of communication."

He continued, "The Park Geun-hye administration knew that a doctor at Samsung Hospital was confirmed positive and had attended an event with many unspecified people but did not disclose it, so I held a briefing in the middle of the night," adding, "Now, the government and local governments are closely cooperating in response." He further stated, "There is no need to quarantine the entire hospital yet; the situation is controllable."

He added, "A considerable amount of testing has been done, but so far, only four have tested positive. At this point, I do not think it is necessary to cohort isolate the entire hospital," emphasizing, "Epidemiological investigations have been completed, and excessive testing is ongoing, so I do not see it as serious enough to warrant cohort isolation."

He also said, "In the case of infections originating from the Itaewon clubs, the first confirmed case had an unclear infection route, but a full investigation was conducted to bring the situation under control," and predicted, "(The scope at Samsung Seoul Hospital is) more limited than Itaewon clubs, so I believe it can be sufficiently contained."

On the 19th, when Park Won-soon, the Mayor of Seoul, announced that four nurses at Samsung Seoul Hospital were infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), medical staff and hospital officials were waiting for testing at the COVID-19 testing site set up on the rooftop of the outdoor parking lot at Samsung Seoul Hospital in Gangnam-gu.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Mayor Park announced that there were no additional confirmed cases at Samsung Seoul Hospital overnight.

He explained, "Out of a total of 121 people, including 88 medical staff who had contact with confirmed patients, 25 patients, and 8 caregivers, 116 have been tested, and there are no additional positives." He added, "Testing has been expanded to 828 people, and more results will be available this morning."

Mayor Park also stated his intention to continue specimen testing even if no new confirmed cases occur.

In an interview on KBS1 Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strong Current Affairs,' he said, "Because there are many asymptomatic infections, even if the number of confirmed cases comes out as 'zero,' proactive testing must be conducted," and announced, "We have established a 'Proactive Testing Committee' to routinely test high-risk groups with a high possibility of infection."

He added, "The first committee meeting will be held today to select targets for proactive testing," noting, "Hospitals, elderly care facilities, entertainment establishments, and foreign arrivals are the main targets."

The day before, four nurses working in operating rooms and other areas at Samsung Seoul Hospital were confirmed positive. The hospital is conducting tests on medical staff and patients who had contact with them, and the hospital has been partially closed.

This is the first time that medical staff at one of the country's so-called 'Big 5' large hospitals have tested positive for COVID-19.

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