Daejeon COVID-19 Spread Continues... Heightened Alert Over 'n-th Infection' from Other Regions

Citizens are lining up to receive COVID-19 diagnostic tests at public health centers in Daejeon. Provided by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the Daejeon area shows no signs of slowing down. In particular, health authorities are on high alert as cases of secondary infections caused by confirmed patients entering from the metropolitan area and other regions, as well as infections among family members, are increasing in the region.

According to Daejeon City on the 31st, a total of 89 people were confirmed positive for COVID-19 in the region from the 14th to the 31st (as of noon). Considering that the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the region currently stands at 257, 34.6% of all confirmed cases were diagnosed during this period.

In particular, the city has identified that among these confirmed cases, 53 were infected after directly visiting the metropolitan area or other regions, or after contact with visitors from those areas. This includes 4 cases related to Sarang Jeil Church and 10 cases related to the Gwanghwamun rally.

Recently, the infection routes of confirmed cases show a notable pattern where confirmed patients imported from other regions become sources of secondary infections within the region, which then lead to cluster infections among families and others.

For example, according to the city’s epidemiological investigation, the cluster infection at the Daejeon Badminton Club (Indong Sports Center) is presumed to have started through a connection with Gangnam #131 confirmed patient. On the 26th, four members of the Indong Sports Center Badminton Club (Daejeon #190~193) were confirmed positive after contact with Gangnam #131, and through them, another four people were identified as secondary infections.

The number of confirmed cases related to the metropolitan area Gwanghwamun rally has also increased to 18. Starting from 10 previously confirmed patients who attended the rally, 8 additional cases were recently confirmed.

The occurrence of additional confirmed cases related to the Badminton Club and the Gwanghwamun rally is a cause for concern for the city regarding the spread of secondary infections within the region due to imported cases from other areas.

Moreover, infections among family members are also identified as a main route of transmission within the region. Due to the nature of sharing living spaces such as food, clothing, and shelter, the positivity rate among families is high, and the scope and speed of spread are rapid, which keeps health authorities on edge.

For instance, in Daejeon, starting with Daejeon #181 confirmed patient (a man in his 20s from Yuseong Eoeun-dong) on the 20th of last month, six people including the patient’s grandmother, mother, older brother, and relatives were secondarily infected, and three more people who had contact with the patient’s older brother were additionally confirmed, causing tertiary infections. However, the infection route of patient #181 has not yet been identified, making epidemiological investigation difficult.

Meanwhile, as confirmed cases increased in Daejeon, the number of people under self-quarantine also surged. The number of self-quarantined individuals in the region rose from 726 on the 6th to 1,727 on the 27th, peaking before stabilizing at around 1,100 as of the 31st.

In response, the city judged that managing self-quarantined individuals could be a key factor in blocking the spread of COVID-19, and thus increased joint surprise inspections by the city, district offices, and police from once a week to twice a week. Additionally, those violating self-quarantine rules will be reported to judicial authorities under a zero-tolerance policy.

Park Wol-hoon, Director of the Citizen Safety Office of the city, said, “Currently, the serious situation of COVID-19 spreading nationwide continues,” and added, “The city plans to strongly respond to unauthorized departures of self-quarantined individuals that threaten community safety.”

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