Pohang 7, Gumi 6, Sangju 4 ... 23 New Confirmed Cases Across Gyeongbuk

30 COVID-19 Cases in 5 Days from Pohang Guryongpo Restaurant Cluster
Gumi Songjeong Church Cases Rise to 59 in 10 Days
As of Midnight on the 30th, Cumulative Confirmed Cases in Gyeongbuk Reach 2,359

On the afternoon of December 28, transport vehicles carrying COVID-19 confirmed inmates from Seoul Eastern Detention Center arrived at the Northern Gyeongbuk Second Prison in Jinbo-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] The daily number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the Gyeongbuk region, which once surged to the 50-60 range, has somewhat slowed down to the 20s over the past couple of days.

However, infections originating from restaurants and churches continue mainly in the Pohang, Gumi, and Sangju areas, maintaining an average of 39.3 new daily confirmed cases in the Gyeongbuk region over the past week.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 30th, as of midnight that day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the Gyeongbuk region was 2,359 (including 115 overseas inflow cases), which is 23 more than the previous day (including 2 overseas inflow cases).

The number of new confirmed cases by region is 7 in Pohang, 6 in Gumi, 4 in Sangju, 3 in Cheongsong, and 1 each in Gimcheon, Yeongju, and Gyeongsan.

Among the 7 new confirmed cases in Pohang, 4 are contacts of confirmed cases in Guryongpo. Two others have unclear infection routes, and one is an overseas inflow case who entered from North America on the 15th. In the Guryongpo area, since the restaurant owner was confirmed positive on the 24th, related contact confirmed cases have increased to 31, with 2 on the 25th, 4 on the 26th, 10 on the 27th, and 10 on the 28th.

Among the 6 new confirmed cases in Gumi, 4 are contacts of confirmed cases related to Saemsotneun Church (Gumi cases 225-227), one is related to Songjeong Church, and another is an overseas inflow case who entered from Europe on the 27th. Since the first confirmed case at Gumi Songjeong Church on the 20th, related confirmed cases have increased to 59.

Among the 4 new confirmed cases in Sangju, one is a contact of a confirmed case related to Han Younghon Church in Gaewoon-dong (Sangju case 36), one is a contact of a confirmed case from Namyangju City, Gyeonggi Province, and the other two have unidentified infection routes. The confirmed cases related to Han Younghon Church, which shows a pattern of group infection after worshiping in the basement and sharing meals, have increased to 17 since the 23rd.

Among the 3 new confirmed cases in Cheongsong County, one is a contact of a prior confirmed case (Cheongsong case 13), and two are contacts of another prior confirmed case (Cheongsong case 16). They were confirmed positive after showing symptoms during self-quarantine and undergoing testing.

In Gimcheon, Yeongju, and Gyeongsan cities, one confirmed case each was identified as a contact of confirmed cases related to Gumi Songjeong Church, Yeongju Church, and Daegu Yeongsin Church, respectively.

Meanwhile, in Gyeongbuk, the highest daily confirmed cases were 122 on March 6, after which the number dropped to 31 on March 8. However, after showing the same daily confirmed case number of 31 on December 17, it surged to 59 on the 21st and 67 on the 24th.

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