"The Scary Reason Behind COVID-19: You May Not Feel It Even as Pneumonia Progresses"

On the 8th, at the screening clinic set up at Gwanak-gu Public Health Center in Seoul, citizens are waiting to get tested amid ongoing secondary infections related to Richway, a multi-level marketing company selling health products for the elderly. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] An 80-year-old man from Incheon who died three days after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) reportedly showed no obvious symptoms despite pneumonia progressing during the isolation period.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 16th, this man, the first fatality in the Incheon area, was exposed to the infection source (related to Richway) around the end of May and was under self-quarantine. His first test on the 3rd was negative, but from the 7th, he showed some suspicious symptoms, underwent another test, and was confirmed positive on the retest. He was then hospitalized at Incheon Gachon Gil Hospital for treatment and died on the 15th. He is the 278th fatality nationwide.

Although he was tested twice due to suspicious symptoms, the health authorities have determined that he showed no significant symptoms even during the diagnostic tests, including the isolation period. Kwak Jin, head of the patient management team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a briefing that "It seems the progression from exposure to the infection source to onset and death was rapid," adding, "Because the characteristics of COVID-19 mean that symptoms and disease progression do not always correlate, there can be differences."

This kind of 'discrepancy' has been reported by medical staff treating patients since the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. There have been cases where inflammation was observed in lung tissue or pneumonia had progressed significantly on X-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans, yet the patients themselves did not complain of symptoms.

If someone has been exposed to an infection source, such as through contact with a patient, they are required to self-quarantine or be placed under active monitoring to check for symptoms before undergoing diagnostic testing to determine infection status. In the case of Incheon’s first fatality, symptoms did not appear during the isolation period, delaying diagnosis, and pneumonia may have worsened during that time, leading to death. Kwak said, "We will work with local governments to better monitor clinical deterioration during the symptom monitoring period, including while in isolation."

Meanwhile, as of noon on the same day, three additional confirmed cases related to the Richway door-to-door sales company in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, were reported, bringing the total to 172. Five more cases were added at the Coupang logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, raising the cumulative confirmed cases to 152. Two contacts under self-quarantine related to a sports facility in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, tested positive, increasing the total to 66. Additionally, there were 22 cases linked to the Seongsim Daycare Center in Dobong-gu, Seoul, and six confirmed cases related to the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Furthermore, one teacher at Icheon Jeil High School in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and one nurse at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital in Goyang tested positive; their infection routes have not yet been identified. Regarding the Lotte Courier logistics center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, 159 contacts are being tested following one employee confirmed positive on the 13th, but no additional cases have been reported so far.

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