28.1% of COVID-19 Cases Are Asymptomatic, 21.9% Have Unknown Infection Routes

Eunpyeong-gu Announces COVID-19 Case Statistical Analysis Based on In-Depth Epidemiological Investigation

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced meaningful statistics based on an in-depth epidemiological investigation conducted on COVID-19 confirmed cases within the district.

As of 10:00 AM on October 14, a total of 256 confirmed cases were categorized by gender, age, presence or absence of symptoms, infection route, presence or absence of underlying diseases, and management rate within the quarantine network.

First, regarding the presence or absence of COVID-19 symptoms, among the total 256 confirmed cases, 72 cases (28.1%) were asymptomatic. Since asymptomatic infected individuals can still transmit the virus to others, caution is necessary. Although they may not feel symptoms, they could have a fever, so it is important to check for fever daily.

Among the 184 cases (71.8%) who reported symptoms, fever was the most common with 95 cases (51.6%), followed by cough with 59 cases (32%), and sore throat with 54 cases (29.3%).

Therefore, daily fever checks through ‘Temperature Check Once a Day’ are important.

Regarding infection routes, contact with a prior confirmed case accounted for 200 cases (78.1%), while cases with unknown infection routes were 56 (21.9%). Among contacts with confirmed cases, family contacts were 25.8%, workplace contacts 12.5%, and contacts related to Sarang Jeil Church and Gwanghwamun rallies were 7.0%. Regarding underlying diseases, 30.1% had them, while 69.9% did not. The management rate within the quarantine network (cases confirmed during self-quarantine) was 37.1%.

By age group, children and adolescents accounted for 7.0%, and those in their 20s accounted for 11.3%, indicating that even young people are not safe from COVID-19. Especially overseas, there have been many deaths due to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which causes excessive inflammation during the activation of the immune system in children and adolescents, so caution is needed. In Korea, two boys in their early teens have been diagnosed with pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome so far. Fortunately, no cases have occurred in Eunpyeong-gu.

The elderly population showed 21.9% in their 60s and 9.8% in their 70s, with a tendency for confirmed cases among the elderly to surge after the August 15 Gwanghwamun rally. It is necessary for elderly individuals themselves to comply with quarantine rules and exercise caution, and for middle-aged and young adults living with the elderly to also be careful and follow quarantine guidelines.

A notable point in this COVID-19 confirmed case statistics announcement in Eunpyeong-gu is the high proportion of asymptomatic cases (28.1%) and that fever was the most common symptom at 51.6%. This shows that if individuals manage their body temperature once a day using a thermometer, it can be an effective personal quarantine measure.

To prevent COVID-19, individuals should routinely monitor their health status and immediately contact health centers if suspected symptoms different from usual occur. The easiest and most concrete way to check for symptoms is by using a thermometer to measure body temperature.

In this regard, the ‘Temperature Check Once a Day (check)’ campaign conducted by Eunpyeong-gu is gaining attention. It is a campaign to promote the importance of personal quarantine by checking for fever signs once a day using a thermometer. In September, an event was held on social media where participants measured their temperature and uploaded certification photos or videos. Since August, Eunpyeong-gu has sequentially distributed about 210,000 digital thermometers to households in the district.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, stated, “Analyzing confirmed COVID-19 cases in the district based on in-depth epidemiological investigations is a very meaningful result for determining the direction of future quarantine systems.” She added, “Checking for fever at home before going out, along with wearing masks and handwashing, can be a strong infectious disease prevention measure. We ask residents to participate in the ‘Temperature Check Once a Day (check)’ campaign.”

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