Cluster Infection at Cheonan Soonchunhyang University Hospital... Staff Social Distancing Level 3

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] At Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Cheonan, Chungnam, designated as a national infectious disease specialized hospital, COVID-19 is spreading among medical staff.

According to Chungnam provincial quarantine authorities on the 24th, five nurses at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital were newly confirmed positive for COVID-19 on the same day.

The total number of confirmed cases related to this hospital has increased to 10. One is a nurse's family member, and the remaining nine are medical personnel. Additionally, two confirmed cases were reported from the endoscopy room, and seven nurses in the emergency intensive care unit were infected with COVID-19. In particular, 30 people, including six inpatients in the intensive care unit where confirmed cases surged and 24 patients who visited the endoscopy room, have been cohort isolated.

Earlier, Soonchunhyang University Hospital stopped admitting additional inpatients from the 22nd and, following the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency guidelines, completely suspended outpatient treatment for one day on the 24th. The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) dispatched an emergency response team of five, including epidemiologists, to the hospital to trace the initial infection route and manage the site.

The quarantine authorities decided to apply quarantine rules equivalent to social distancing level 3 only to hospital staff. Accordingly, hospital visitor access is restricted, and hospital employees are temporarily prohibited from gatherings of 10 or more people as well as from using multi-use facilities.

Meanwhile, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital is a medical facility designated by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency as a specialized infectious disease hospital for the central region.

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