Government: "63 Confirmed Cases from 30 Churches... Metropolitan Area Patient Surge Simulation Training" (Update)

Kim Gang-rip, the 1st General Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Vice Minister of Health and Welfare), is speaking at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) held on the morning of the 4th at the Disaster Situation Room of the Government Seoul Office.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is steadily increasing, centered around churches in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Kim Kang-lip, the 1st General Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Vice Minister of Health and Welfare), said before the meeting on the 4th, "As of today, 63 confirmed cases have occurred in 30 churches in the metropolitan area," adding, "Secondary infection cases among family and acquaintances have also reached 33, about 52%."

According to health authorities, confirmed cases are spreading through various small gatherings related to churches, including the pioneering churches in the metropolitan area, the Gunpo and Anyang pastors' meetings, Bible study groups, university student missionary groups, and Dongin Church in Gangnam-gu. The problem is that the initial infection routes for each group are unclear, making epidemiological investigations and contact management difficult. This is why additional infected patients are increasing beyond those who attended the exposed gatherings.

Coordinator Kim said, "We cannot ignore the scale of each group just because it is small," adding, "Infections that start in small gatherings spread to family and acquaintances and then to the local community, potentially leading to larger cluster infections."

Authorities believe that large-scale cluster outbreaks can occur at any time in the densely populated metropolitan area. At the meeting, plans for a simulation drill to jointly utilize hospital beds in the metropolitan area were discussed in preparation. This is because during the rapid increase in patients centered on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu and Gyeongbuk from February to March, there were significant casualties due to a shortage of hospital beds. Measures such as adjusting bed allocation according to patient severity by region are intended to use limited medical resources efficiently.

Coordinator Kim said, "In emergency situations where patients increase rapidly, we know from the experience in Daegu and Gyeongbuk last March that a response system beyond existing city and provincial administrative districts is necessary," adding, "We will review the preparedness system to effectively utilize living treatment centers, hospital beds, personnel, and supplies."

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