Two Gwangju Middle and High School Students Change from Positive to Negative, KCDC Registers Them as 'Confirmed Cases'

Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop and Gwangju Superintendent of Education Jang Hwi-guk are holding a briefing on the morning of the 14th at the city hall briefing room regarding the COVID-19 infections among middle and high school students that occurred on the 12th.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] In the Gwangju area, two middle and high school students who showed fluctuating results between ‘partially positive’ and ‘negative’ in COVID-19 tests on the 12th were ultimately classified as confirmed cases by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

According to Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 14th, as of midnight, the KDCA classified the two suspected students as Gwangju cases number 33 and 34, and registered them in the KDCA system.

The KDCA classified the two students as confirmed cases because the samples initially tested positive on the 11th were also confirmed positive in tests conducted by both private institutions and the KDCA.

However, the KDCA noted that it is an unusual case that all four subsequent tests after the first positive result came back negative, and discussions are currently underway regarding the cause and future handling measures.

In a briefing on the morning of the same day, Gwangju City stated, “After the samples tested positive at a private hospital screening clinic and private institution on the 11th, all four tests conducted on the 12th and 13th came back negative,” and added, “We trust the negative results from these credible institutions.”

Nevertheless, the city said, “To completely block the spread of infection in the community in case of any possibility, we are taking meticulous responses and quarantine measures equivalent to those for confirmed cases,” and emphasized, “‘Complacency’ is the greatest enemy of quarantine. Wearing masks, washing hands, and practicing social distancing in daily life are fundamental to protecting the safe Gwangju community from COVID-19,” urging citizens for active cooperation.

Meanwhile, the two students coincidentally received a ‘partially positive’ result in COVID-19 tests conducted by the same private testing company.

Since the upper respiratory tract showed negative and the lower respiratory tract showed positive reactions, Gwangju City and health authorities conducted retests at the Gwangju City Health and Environment Research Institute for accurate diagnosis.

The second test showed negative results for both students. Due to the differing results between the first and second tests, a third test was conducted, which also showed negative results.

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