47 COVID-19 Cases Confirmed in Daejeon Direct Sales Company Cluster...7 New Cases in One Day

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Cluster outbreaks of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) centered around the Seoul metropolitan area and Daejeon region are spreading nationwide, leading to an increase in confirmed cases.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 21st at 12 noon that the total number of confirmed cases related to a door-to-door sales company in Goejeong-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, has risen to 47. This is an increase of 7 cases compared to the same time the previous day.

Looking at the confirmed cases from the Daejeon door-to-door sales company by region, Daejeon has the highest number with 32 cases, followed by Chungnam with 5, Seoul with 4, Sejong and Jeonbuk with 2 each, and Gyeonggi and Gwangju with 1 each. The cluster infection that started in Daejeon has spread to Sejong, Chungnam, the Seoul metropolitan area, and further to Jeonbuk and Gwangju.

Among these, confirmed cases include a student from Jeonju Girls' High School in Jeonbuk, a woman in her 20s from Iksan, and a man in his 20s from Gwangju, which correspond to 2nd to 3rd generation infection cases. The confirmed cases in Jeonju and Gwangju reportedly visited a first-floor restaurant in a building in Jeonju where a recent event of the Daejeon door-to-door sales company was held, and their movement paths overlapped, leading to accidental contact with people from the sales company. The confirmed case in Iksan is known to be an acquaintance of the Gwangju confirmed case.

The cluster infection originating from the Daejeon door-to-door sales company has a high likelihood of further spreading as secondary transmissions continue in various regions. In Gwangju, 207 direct and indirect contacts, including PC room users visited by the confirmed cases, are currently under self-quarantine or active monitoring.

New confirmed cases continue in the Seoul metropolitan area, where multiple cluster infections have occurred. Regarding the door-to-door sales company 'Richway' in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, one additional person under contact management tested positive, increasing the cumulative confirmed cases to 194. The confirmed cases related to Richway are 108 in Seoul, 56 in Gyeonggi, 24 in Incheon, and 3 each in Gangwon and Chungnam.

Two new confirmed cases related to the multi-level marketing company 'Daejayeon Korea' in Guro-gu have been reported, bringing the total number of patients to 7. One additional confirmed case related to the Seongsim Daycare Center in Dobong-gu increased the cumulative total to 43, and one more confirmed case related to an infection of a safety management worker working at City Hall Station of the Seoul subway raised the total to 7. Among contacts related to Lotte Confectionery logistics in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, two new infections were reported, increasing the cumulative confirmed cases to 17.

As of today, there are 17 'critical' patients on mechanical ventilation or using the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) device, and 17 'severe' patients receiving oxygen therapy or having a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius, totaling 34 patients. Over the past week from the 15th to today, the number of critical and severe patients has steadily increased from 20 → 24 → 25 → 27 → 33 → 33 → 34.

Meanwhile, the CDCH announced that as of midnight today, there were 48 new confirmed cases, of which 8 were imported cases. Their estimated regions or countries of import are 3 from the Americas, 2 each from Bangladesh and Pakistan, and 1 from Europe.

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