Seoul COVID-19 Cases Increase by 20... 7 Infected at 'Health Products Promotion Event'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) related to the metropolitan area pioneering church gatherings continues to rise, there are growing concerns about the spread of cluster infections at health food sales venues (promotion sites) mainly targeting the elderly.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 4th at 10 a.m. that the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Seoul is 916. This is an increase of 20 cases compared to the same time the previous day, and 21 cases compared to the official announcement by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency at midnight the previous day.

The sources of infection for the new confirmed cases are 5 related to the metropolitan area pioneering church, 7 related to the health product company 'Richway' in Gwanak-gu, 2 related to the Bucheon Coupang logistics center, 1 related to Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, 1 related to the Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, and the infection routes of the remaining 4 are under investigation.

In particular, the number of confirmed cases related to the metropolitan area pioneering church in Seoul has increased from 13 the previous day to 18 as of now, showing an upward trend.

Additionally, 7 more cases were confirmed after attending sales training or seminars held by Richway, a health product sales company registered as a door-to-door sales business, bringing the total related cases to 8.

Na Baek-ju, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Citizen Health Bureau, explained, "We have identified all the attendees of the seminars, most of whom are elderly," and added, "We are conducting tests on 199 people, including 11 company employees and 188 visitors who visited the company between February 22 and March 1."

Meanwhile, as of today, 644 of the total confirmed cases in Seoul have been declared recovered and discharged, while 268 are undergoing isolation treatment.

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