"COVID-19 Spread from Sarang Jeil Church More Severe Than Shincheonji and Itaewon Club Incidents"

Cumulative Confirmed Cases Related to Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk, Seoul Reach 249

On the afternoon of the 15th, Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church is speaking at a rally condemning the government and ruling party held in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As COVID-19 cases surge across the Seoul metropolitan area centered around Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, led by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, concerns about a second large-scale outbreak are growing, as this case is far more serious compared to past group infections such as Shincheonji or the Itaewon clubs.

On the 17th, Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "Compared to the Shincheonji incident in February or the Itaewon club incident in May, the current situation is much more severe," adding, "The Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul and Gyeonggi, has a much larger population, higher population density, and greater mobility than Daegu and Gyeongbuk. Also, with gatherings overlapping during the holiday period, all conditions are met for a widespread outbreak."

Regarding the current confirmed cases, he said, "The confirmed cases being reported now are people who were infected one to two weeks ago," and added, "During that time, there must have been considerable community transmission, and it is quite possible that many more people have been infected than the number of confirmed cases we are currently seeing. In such a case, the number of confirmed cases could increase significantly."

Professor Eom analyzed the reason for the surge in confirmed cases, saying, "The outbreak that started in Itaewon was almost contained by early July, and the number of confirmed cases in Seoul and Gyeonggi had dropped to single digits. During this process, overall social activities increased," and continued, "Various concerts, gatherings, and religious groups began holding services in earnest, increasing overall social activity and contact between people. This was the trigger for COVID-19, which had been spreading quietly, to spread rapidly."

Regarding the elevation to social distancing level 3, Professor Eom said, "The social and economic losses that come with moving to level 3 are a significant burden in reality," but added, "We need to decide by observing the trend of confirmed cases and the increase in contacts over the next two to three days."

He also said, "In a situation where returning to basics is necessary, the sooner and more decisively such decisions are made, the better," and added, "Since it takes three to four weeks to see the effects of raising the distancing level, if it is judged that the situation is difficult to control, it is advisable to raise the level quickly."

Meanwhile, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases increased by 188 from the previous day, marking four consecutive days of triple-digit cases since the 14th. On this day, 89 new cases were confirmed in Seoul and 67 in Gyeonggi, with new cases concentrated in the metropolitan area.

According to the quarantine authorities, as of noon the previous day, the number of confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul increased by more than 100, bringing the total to 249.

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