9 Family Members Confirmed COVID-19 Positive During Chuseok Holiday in Jeongeup... Concerns Over Silent Transmission

Last month, medical staff at the screening clinic of Seoul Medical Center in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, were guiding citizens who were about to undergo testing. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] In Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, a total of nine people, including family members who had contact with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) during the Chuseok holiday, were infected in a cluster.

The Jeollabuk-do quarantine authorities announced on the 6th that a total of nine people, including the family of the 133rd confirmed case in the province and neighbors, have tested positive due to "silent transmission" among family members during the holiday period.

Initially, health authorities presumed the 133rd confirmed case in the province to be the index patient of this cluster infection. However, after analyzing epidemiological investigations, it is estimated that the index patient was Mr. A, a man in his 50s and the elder brother of the 133rd confirmed case, who came down from Seoul to Jeongeup at the end of last month (the 140th confirmed case).

Mr. A met with his younger sister, the 133rd confirmed case, who resides in Jeongu-myeon on the 1st, and during this meeting, the virus is presumed to have been transmitted.

It was investigated that both were not wearing masks at the time.

The four children and parents-in-law of the 133rd confirmed case were also diagnosed positive on the 5th. Additionally, a woman in her 70s who had a conversation with the mother-in-law on the 3rd at a pavilion in Jeongu-myeon also tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to nine.

The confirmed patients are reported to have been admitted to isolation rooms at Gunsan Medical Center and other facilities.

It was confirmed that nine other family members residing in Nonsan and Gwangju all tested negative.

The province announced that it has imposed cohort isolation on 100 residents of Yangji Village, Jeongu-myeon, Jeongeup-si.

Currently, COVID-19 diagnostic testing is being conducted on residents in Yangji Village, and movement outside the village is restricted for 14 days.

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