"Really Very Anxious" Gwanghwamun Rally 'Invisible Infection' Concerns... Citizens' Anxiety

Increased Possibility of 'Blind Infection' from Gatherings
"Don't Know When Contact with Confirmed Cases Occurs"... Citizens Express Anxiety
Experts Warn of 'n-th' Infection Risk from Gathering Participants

The aftermath of mass infections originating from the Gwanghwamun rally held by conservative and Christian groups is intensifying. Among them, rally participants have shown uncooperative attitudes toward quarantine authorities, causing citizens to express anxiety over 'hidden infections.' The photo shows Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, the head pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, speaking at the rally held on the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Seulgi Kim] Concerns are growing that so-called 'dark infections' are rapidly increasing following the rally held on the 15th in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. 'Dark infections' refer to a type of silent transmission where the infection route of confirmed cases is unknown.

Since the source of infection is unclear, it is difficult for health authorities to trace, which could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases. For vulnerable groups such as the elderly or those with underlying conditions, this is fatal as they cannot prepare in advance.

The rally on that day also meets the criteria for 'dark infections.' People gathered from the metropolitan area and across the country at the 'Gwanghwamun rally,' making close contact, and with crowded public transportation, it is virtually impossible to trace where and how the droplets (saliva particles) of potentially infectious people moved, thus facilitating the spread of COVID-19.

The health authorities are most wary of 'dark confirmed cases' and urged citizens to promptly comply with daily quarantine rules to respond quickly. Infection experts warned that COVID-19 could spread nationwide and urged citizens who are concerned about infection to get tested promptly.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 20th, among the 1,602 confirmed cases reported from 0:00 on the 6th to 0:00 on the 19th, 220 cases had unknown infection routes.

The target rate for dark confirmed cases set by health authorities is 5%, but as of that day, the rate of 'dark confirmed cases' was 13.7%, the highest since the 14th.

Given this situation, concerns are growing that another cluster infection could occur from contacts of dark confirmed cases. Citizens are worried that not only themselves but also others connected to them could become confirmed cases. Psychological anxiety is increasing ahead of COVID-19 confirmation.

Office worker Ms. Park (56, female) said, "Every morning when I commute, I am anxious that I might unknowingly come into contact with someone showing COVID-19 symptoms on public transportation. I live with my elderly mother-in-law, so I am even more worried. I might be fine, but what if the elderly person with weak immunity catches COVID because of me?"

University student Mr. Lee (24, male) also said, "The semester ended, and I was planning to attend some external activities or academies to prepare for employment. But I am too anxious to leave the house. I thought things were calming down... I canceled all my appointments. If this continues, I think the second semester will also start online, which makes me feel frustrated."

Photo by Yonhap News

Citizens' concerns about 'dark infections' were also raised last month. According to the CDCH on June 19, a teacher at Icheon Jeil High School in Gyeonggi Province, who was confirmed positive on June 16, was linked to a language academy in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where 16 patients occurred. The transmission route was identified as the teacher's group and the academy group dining at adjacent seats in the same restaurant.

Also, in Daejeon, among two clusters causing outbreaks, an epidemiological investigation at Church B confirmed the infection source for 9 out of 15 patients. It was revealed that one church member met a patient related to a milling company in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, where the first patient cluster was discovered.

These two cases are examples of 'dark confirmed cases' where the infection route was identified only later. Until the routes were revealed, citizens could only be anxious. Based on this period, the proportion of patients whose infection routes were unknown or under investigation among those who occurred over two weeks was 10.5% (67 people).

Health authorities mentioned these cases and expressed difficulties in quarantine efforts. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the CDCH, said on June 19, "The fact that there are cases where the infection route cannot be found means there is another infection source in the community that infected those cases. The recent rise to 10% means it is difficult for health authorities to grasp the extent of unidentified infection sources."

Regarding the most vulnerable conditions for 'dark infections,' she said in a briefing on June 4, "We are most concerned that such dark infections spread to vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those with underlying diseases, medical institutions, nursing hospitals, and nursing homes, leading to casualties among high-risk groups."

Experts expressed concerns that 'n-th' generation infections could occur as rally participants spread into the community.

Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center pointed out in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' "Looking at the rally situation, people gathered from all over the country and then dispersed, which could serve as a fuse for nationwide spread."

Professor Eom added, "It is necessary to find most participants and have them tested within one week to break the chain of transmission. Currently, many do not respond to testing, and even if they test positive, there is significant resistance to hospital transfer and related procedures. Having already experienced economic losses due to social distancing, there is great concern about the declining participation in quarantine efforts."

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