28 Confirmed Cases in Chungbuk Goesan and Eumseong... 'Hospital-Originated' Chain Infection Concerns Become Reality

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) linked to Choongsuk Goesan Seongmo Hospital spreads to Eumseong County, the number of confirmed cases has surged to 28 in just two days, raising concerns about rapid community transmission.

According to Goesan County on the 17th, 11 additional confirmed cases were reported at Goesan Seongmo Hospital, where the first case was identified on the 15th. This brings the total number of confirmed cases at the hospital to 22, including 2 on the 15th and 9 on the 16th. Among them, 19 are patients and 2 are hospital staff.

The hospital’s first confirmed case was a patient who, before discharge on the 15th, underwent a COVID-19 test and then returned to Somang Hospital in Eumseong, where they had been hospitalized long-term. After staying there for about five hours, the patient was confirmed positive. Six patients at Somang Hospital who had contact with this individual also tested positive. With the third floor of Goesan Seongmo Hospital as the epicenter, COVID-19 has spread to Eumseong, resulting in 28 confirmed cases over three days.

Somang Hospital, where most patients are long-term inpatients, strictly restricts contact with outsiders, so health authorities believe the possibility of community transmission there is low. However, Goesan Seongmo Hospital operates a screening clinic and is the largest hospital in Goesan, with many outpatients, raising concerns about community spread.

The two hospital staff members who tested positive had contact with employees working on other floors and may have gone outside, so there is a possibility of transmission through them as well. Criticism has been raised that chain infections between hospitals occurred because patient transfers to other hospitals were not controlled before test results were confirmed.

Additionally, there are claims that nurses who were waiting in dormitories after being tested were called back to work after confirmed cases emerged, leading to criticism of Goesan Seongmo Hospital’s lax quarantine system.

A Goesan County official said, "All confirmed cases today are patients with no external movement," and added, "We will conduct extensive testing of close contacts among hospital staff and residents with suspicious symptoms to prevent community chain infections."

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