1 in 10 COVID-19 Cases This Month Have Unknown Infection Routes, 'Ggamggami Patients' (Update)

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency)

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] In the past two weeks, about one out of every ten confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) could not identify the route of infection. So-called 'unknown transmission cases' mean that the patient does not know where they were infected, indicating that transmission is occurring outside the management network of health authorities at the community level, which is one of the indicators used to assess risk.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 15th, among the 618 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the past two weeks (June 1?15), 63 patients (10.2%) were classified as 'under investigation for infection route.' Currently, when someone is confirmed positive for COVID-19, their past movements and incubation period are investigated to determine where the infection occurred, but this shows that for this proportion of patients, the infection source could not be identified even after epidemiological investigation.

Among the patients in the two weeks, the majority of 438 cases were from local cluster outbreaks, and 82 were imported cases. The remaining cases include 24 patients from hospitals and nursing hospitals, and 11 patients infected through contact with previously confirmed cases. As cluster infections have been increasing mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area recently, 90% of new patients came from the metropolitan area. More than 80% of the patients with unknown infection routes are also from the metropolitan area.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a briefing on the day, "Community cluster outbreaks are mainly continuing around religious facilities, nursing facilities, social welfare facilities, and workplaces," adding, "While focusing on protecting high-risk groups, we must secure medical resources and block chain infections through social distancing."

Additional cases continue in each cluster. As of 12 noon on the day, three more contacts related to the metropolitan area Pioneer Church cluster were confirmed positive, increasing the cumulative number of patients to 110. Regarding the Richway door-to-door sales company in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, five more cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 169. Among them, 41 are visitors to Richway, and 128 are contacts.

In Dobong-gu, Seoul, two more people in isolation related to the Seongsim Daycare Center tested positive, increasing the cumulative number of patients to 19. In Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, after an elementary school student was confirmed positive on the 13th, three more family members tested positive following testing.

Head Jung said, "Chain COVID-19 infections are occurring in the metropolitan area, where population density is high and there is a large floating population," adding, "COVID-19 outbreaks can occur anywhere in enclosed, crowded, and close-contact facilities."

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