Clean Area Hadong Also Breached ... Gyeongnam Total 394 Cases

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jucheol In] Seven new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Gyeongnam.

As of 5 p.m. on the 17th, Gyeongnam Province announced that a child under 10 years old elementary student living in Changwon (Gyeongnam case 395), a teenage middle school student living in Hadong, and three people in their 50s living in Jinju tested positive for COVID-19.

Case 395 showed symptoms such as fever on the evening of the 14th and was tested at a screening clinic in Changwon on the 16th, with a positive result confirmed that afternoon.

Before symptoms appeared, case 395 attended an elementary school located in Jinhae-gu, Changwon until the 13th. A total of 51 people, including teachers, staff, and classmates, have been tested.

Testing is also underway for 16 contacts at the academy attended by case 395. The four family members living with case 395 are also being tested.

Cases 396 and 397 are local infection cases in Hadong County, marking the first COVID-19 cases reported there.

Case 396 attended a middle school in Hadong until the morning of the 16th. After experiencing symptoms such as fever, they left early and visited the Hadong County Public Health Center for testing. Their three family members are currently being tested.

Case 397 is a teacher working at the same middle school as case 396 but resides in Jinju. They worked until the 16th and, after developing symptoms such as fever, visited the Hadong County Public Health Center for testing and were confirmed positive that afternoon.

The province identified that case 396 attended a class conducted by case 397 on the 13th. Further investigation is needed to determine if there was close contact.

The middle school in Hadong County has 171 people in total, including 139 students and 32 staff members. A screening clinic has been set up, and all are being tested. The health authorities and the provincial education office will review school attendance based on the test results.

The confirmed case in their 20s in Jinju is classified as Other Case 1 and is currently receiving treatment in Jeonnam. This patient had contact with Gwangju case 556 at a university in Gwangyang on the 13th. They stayed in Jinju for two days starting the 15th for hospital training.

On the 16th, after being notified as a close contact by Gwangju health authorities, the patient was tested at a screening clinic in Jinju and confirmed positive that afternoon. The hospital where the training took place has completed disinfection.

Testing is also ongoing for 80 people, including 17 contacts and 63 individuals exposed along the patient's movement path.

Earlier that morning, a woman in her 40s living in Changwon (case 391), a woman in her 40s living in Sacheon (case 392), a man in his 50s living in Changwon (case 393), and a man in his 50s living in Gimhae (case 394) were confirmed positive.

Cases 391 and 393, both living in Changwon, are a married couple. Case 391 was confirmed first, followed by infection of her husband, case 393.

Case 391, who lectures at two universities in the Jinju area, conducted classes until the 12th and developed initial symptoms on the same day. She was tested at the Changwon City Health Center on the 16th.

The provincial and Jinju city health authorities have set up screening clinics at the two universities to test contacts and those exposed to case 391’s classes. So far, 169 people have been tested, with 126 negative results.

Regarding this, students at the universities where case 391 lectured expressed concerns about COVID-19 spread, stating that the schools forced in-person classes.

Case 392, living in Sacheon, is the spouse of case 375, who was confirmed on the 12th and related to an elderly couple in Sacheon. Since case 392 has been in self-quarantine since the 11th, no separate movement or contacts have been identified. The number of confirmed cases related to the Sacheon elderly couple has increased to 22.

The infection route for case 394, living in Gimhae, has not yet been identified. The patient felt symptoms and visited a screening clinic in Gimhae on the 16th for testing. Testing is underway for two family members living together and two coworkers.

Among the additional confirmed cases overnight, cases 391 and 394 have unknown infection routes.

Health authorities are investigating their movements and contacts. Accordingly, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the province has risen to 394, with 320 discharged and 74 hospitalized.

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