Authorities: "Sarangjeil and Downtown Rallies Likely to Cause Additional Cases Even After Incubation Period" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Regular Briefing
Sarang Jeil Church Cumulative Cases Increase to 1,056
399 Confirmed Cases from Unrelated Urban Gatherings

Seoul Seongbuk-gu Sarang Jeil Church / Photo by Honam Moon munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The number of COVID-19 patients related to churches in the Seoul metropolitan area and the downtown rally held on the 15th in Seoul continues to rise steadily. While some suggest that the incubation period may have ended about two weeks after the presumed large-scale spread, health authorities foresee the possibility of additional cases emerging, as infections may have spread in a chain reaction.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of 12:00 PM on the 31st, 21 new confirmed cases related to the cluster outbreak at Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, were reported, bringing the total number of patients to 1,056. Among them, 586 are church members or visitors, and 378 are patients infected through secondary transmission. The infection routes of the remaining 92 are under investigation.

By region, Seoul has the highest number with 602 cases, and a total of 982 cases have been confirmed in the metropolitan area. By age group, those aged 60 and above account for 434 cases, representing 41.1% of all patients. There are 25 locations where secondary infections occurred among people who are not church members and have never visited the church but were infected through workplaces or other contacts, with 159 patients.

Regarding the August 15 downtown rally in Seoul, 30 additional confirmed cases were reported during the same period, increasing the total to 399. Of these, 214 are in the metropolitan area, and 185 cases have been reported outside the metropolitan area. Except for Jeonbuk, Sejong, and Jeju, patients have been identified in all 14 metropolitan local governments nationwide. Secondary infections related to the rally have been reported in 11 locations, with 120 patients. This cluster outbreak related to the rally only includes cases not directly linked to Sarang Jeil Church.

The legal team of Sarang Jeil Church and the 8·15 Rally Steering Committee held a press conference on the 28th at Gwanghwamun Square on Sejong-daero, Seoul, announcing a class-action lawsuit against the president. <이미지:Yonhap News>

In the case of Sarang Jeil Church, the first patient was confirmed on the 12th, and authorities estimate that the virus had been spreading centered around the church for several weeks prior. Many church members attended the downtown rally, and it is highly likely that the virus spread nationwide following the event on the 15th. Considering the incubation period of about two weeks, it is nearly over, but since the virus has spread to dozens of additional facilities and institutions, authorities believe there is still a possibility of infecting surrounding contacts.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a briefing that "It cannot be ruled out that asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic individuals, who themselves do not have severe symptoms, may have transmitted the virus to family, workplaces, churches, and various multi-use facilities." She added, "There is still uncertainty that could affect the scale of confirmed cases, so we request that (church members, visitors, and rally attendees) get tested."

The Seoul Red Cross Hospital, designated as a dedicated hospital for COVID-19 on the 31st. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 30th that the Seoul Red Cross Hospital, with 140 beds, will be designated and operated as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital starting September 1. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Religious Facility Cluster Outbreaks Confirmed One After Another
"22.7% of Patients Have Unknown Infection Routes"

Other cluster outbreaks at religious facilities have also emerged. The number of confirmed cases related to Gwonneung Church in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, has increased to 29. The Ilsam Care Center in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province (with a total of 11 patients) is also classified as a cluster. Additionally, nine new patients related to Seoul Theological Seminary in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, have been reported, bringing the total to 31. Other clusters include nine cases linked to a military-related office in Mapo-gu, Seoul, eight cases related to an officetel gathering in Yeonje-gu, Busan, and seven cases connected to the Rooftop Garden Guesthouse in Jeju.

As sporadic cluster infections have occurred nationwide, the number of patients whose infection routes are difficult to identify during initial epidemiological investigations has also increased significantly. According to patient classification, the number of patients with infection routes "under investigation" reached 1,007 in the recent two weeks (August 18?31). During this period, 4,432 cases were confirmed, making the proportion 22.7%. This is the highest level since the health authorities began separately classifying infection routes in April.

Director Jung said, "The fact that 20% of patients are newly occurring index patients not linked to previously known confirmed cases or community infections means that there are other patients who infected these index patients somewhere, and there are undetected infected individuals in the community." She added, "The high number indicates that there may be a significant number of infection sources that the health authorities have not yet identified."

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