24 New COVID-19 Cases in Gyeongbuk Region... Patients Surge at Gumi Songjeong Church and Sangju Hanyeonghon Church

Cumulative Cases: 75 at Gumi Songjeong Church, 23 at Sangju Hanyeonghon
As of 0:00 on the 5th, Cumulative Confirmed Cases in Gyeongbuk Region Total 2,489

A screening clinic is set up in front of Songjeong Church in Songjeong-dong, Gumi-si, Gyeongbuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] The occurrence of COVID-19 cases originating from churches in Sangju and Gumi cities continues unabated.

Many individuals under self-quarantine related to the Han Younghon Church in Sangju and Songjeong Church in Gumi, where cluster infections occurred around Christmas, have tested positive in tests conducted prior to the end of their quarantine.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 5th, as of midnight, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the Gyeongbuk area increased by 24 from the previous day to 2,489 (including 118 imported cases).

New confirmed cases by region are 9 in Sangju, 6 in Gumi, 5 in Pohang, 3 in Goryeong, and 1 in Gyeongju.

In Sangju, among the 9 new confirmed cases, 7 are contacts related to Han Younghon Church. One other case is a contact of a prior confirmed case (Sangju case number 46), and another tested positive in a pre-employment diagnostic test at a nursing facility.

At Han Younghon Church in Sangju, including the pastor and family members and congregants confirmed positive on the 25th, a total of 23 confirmed cases have been officially announced by health authorities so far.

In Gumi, among the 6 new confirmed cases, 4 are contacts of confirmed cases related to Songjeong Church and tested positive in tests conducted before the end of their self-quarantine. One other case is a contact of a prior confirmed case (Gumi case number 249), and another case’s infection route is unknown. With 4 new cases related to Songjeong Church on this day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases linked to this church has reached 75.

In Pohang, among the 5 new confirmed cases, 2 were classified as contacts of confirmed cases in Cheongsong area (Cheongsong case number 16) and tested positive in tests before the end of their self-quarantine, 2 are contacts of a prior confirmed case (Pohang case number 254), and 1 case has an unclear infection route.

The 3 new confirmed cases in Goryeong County are contacts of a prior confirmed case (Goryeong case number 15), and in Gyeongju, one person who had contact with a confirmed case from Dongnae-gu, Busan, tested positive.

In Gyeongsangbuk-do, over the past week, 148 residents (excluding imported cases) across various areas have tested positive, resulting in a weekly daily average of 21.1 confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, in Gyeongbuk, after the daily confirmed cases peaked at 122 on March 6, the number dropped to 31 on March 8. However, after recording 31 daily 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.