Relay-type church n-th infection continues in Gumi... 25 new confirmed cases across Gyeongbuk

Over 80% of Recent Confirmed Cases in Gumi Related to Churches
Cumulative Confirmed Cases in Gyeongbuk Region Reach 2,465 as of Midnight on the 4th

On the 3rd, when the cold wave continued nationwide, citizens in Namcheon, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongbuk, are enjoying the last day of the holiday at a natural ice sledding rink formed by flowing water freezing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] The chain infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) originating from churches, occurring in a relay fashion in Gumi, is becoming serious.

In Pohang, where the nth infection had been rampant and then subsided, 6 additional cases were reported after three days, causing the total number of new confirmed cases in the Gyeongbuk region to rise again to the 20s.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 4th, as of midnight that day, the cumulative confirmed cases in the Gyeongbuk region increased by 25 from the previous day to 2,465 (including 118 imported cases).

New confirmed cases by region are 9 in Gumi, 6 each in Pohang and Gyeongsan, 2 in Sangju, and 1 each in Andong and Chilgok.

In Gumi City, all 9 new confirmed cases are related to churches. Three are contacts of confirmed cases related to Guun Church, and six are contacts of confirmed cases related to Songjeong Church, who tested positive during pre-release quarantine testing.

The chain infection at Guun Church, which began with 2 confirmed cases among congregants on December 31, continued with 6 cases on the 1st, 10 cases on the 2nd (including 1 each in Gimcheon and Chilgok), and 3 cases on the 3rd, bringing the cumulative confirmed cases to 21. In Gumi, church-related confirmed cases (81) that occurred over ten days before the end of the year (until midnight on the 31st) centered around Songjeong Church and Guun Church accounted for 75% of the total confirmed cases (108).

In Pohang City, among the 6 new confirmed cases, 2 are contacts of confirmed cases in the Guryongpo area, 1 is a contact of a prior confirmed case (Pohang case number 250), and the other 3 have unknown infection routes.

In Gyeongsan City, among the 6 new confirmed cases, 4 are contacts of confirmed cases from Suseong District, Daegu, and 2 are contacts of a prior confirmed case (Gyeongsan case number 736).

In Sangju City, among the 2 new confirmed cases, 1 is a contact of a prior confirmed case (Sangju case number 33), and the other has an unidentified infection route.

In Andong City and Chilgok County, contacts of a prior confirmed case (Andong case number 102) and a confirmed case from Dong District, Daegu, tested positive during pre-release quarantine testing.

In Gyeongsangbuk-do, over the past week, 151 residents (excluding imported cases) across various areas were confirmed positive, resulting in a weekly daily average of 21.6 confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, in Gyeongbuk, after the daily confirmed cases peaked at 122 on March 6, the highest in the province, the number dropped to 31 on March 8. However, after showing 31 daily confirmed cases again on December 17, the numbers surged to 59 on the 21st and 67 on the 24th.

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