The Initial Infection Chain of COVID-19 Outbreak in Gwangju and Jeonnam is Presumed to Originate from Seoul

First Confirmed Case at Gwangju Prison Employee 'Acquaintance' Moves In, Possible Transmission from Truck Driver

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Since the 9th, as the COVID-19 outbreak has been spreading like wildfire in the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas, health authorities are estimating that the epidemiological investigation of the Gwangju Prison employee, presumed to be the initial infected person, suggests the infection may have originated from Seoul.

According to Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 20th, health authorities believe that the infection route of Gwangju Prison employee Mr. A (Gwangju case number 520), who was infected on the 9th, is linked to Mr. B (Gwangju case number 523), an acquaintance of Mr. A who moved from Seoul at the end of last month.

It is highly likely that Mr. B was infected by a truck driver (Seoul Jungnang-gu case number 211) during his move from Seoul to Gwangju.

Mr. A and Mr. B met on the 2nd at Homac in Jinwol-dong, Nam-gu. At that time, there were four tables of customers in the bar, and it is believed that the infection spread from Mr. B to Mr. A and also to Mr. C, an employee of Sangmu Room Sojubang, who was at another table.

Subsequently, it is believed that Mr. C transmitted the infection to customers and employees of the Room Sojubang.

Gwangju City estimates that the first infected person at Jeonnam National University Hospital, a neurosurgery resident, was infected on the 7th after visiting another regular bar in the same building as the Room Sojubang.

Although the bar visited by the resident and the Room Sojubang are on different floors, it was confirmed that they share restrooms and corridors.

As a result, it is expected that secondary infections occurred among medical staff, caregivers, and patients centered around the neurosurgery department of Jeonnam National University Hospital.

Meanwhile, Gwangju City currently categorizes the COVID-19 confirmed groups into three main clusters.

There are 40 cases related to Jeonnam National University Hospital, 25 cases related to Homac in Jinwol-dong, and 6 cases related to other cities and provinces. Breaking down the Homac-related cases, there are 4 from Gwangju Prison, 11 from Sangmu Room Sojubang, 4 from Classroom Sojubang, and 6 from Homac itself.

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