Pohang City Identifies 38 Confirmed Cases Through 'Household Testing'... Implements 'Take a Short Break' Lunar New Year Measures

Mayor Lee Gang-deok Appeals in Briefing: "Lunar New Year Holiday is the Final Hurdle for Quarantine"

Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang City announcing the 'Public Health Stabilization Measures' to prevent the local spread of COVID-19 on the 4th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] "The Lunar New Year holiday starting next week is the final hurdle for quarantine. For the sake of my family and neighbors, I kindly ask everyone to continue practicing social distancing and following quarantine guidelines until the end."

On the 4th, Mayor Lee Gang-deok of Pohang announced the 'Livelihood Quarantine Stabilization Measures' to block the local spread of COVID-19 during a briefing at City Hall.

Mayor Lee, who announced the 'Diagnostic Testing by Household' on the 26th of last month, said, "Through this testing, we were able to find asymptomatic infected individuals who had a high potential to become super-spreaders and cut the chain of additional infections," bowing his head to the citizens who willingly stepped up to overcome the crisis despite the cold weather.

January 27 to February 4 'House-to-House Testing' with over 190,000 participants

Pohang City first introduced the results of the 'One Diagnostic Test per Household' which ended on this day. Although nationwide COVID-19 confirmed cases showed a decreasing trend after peaking in December last year, Pohang experienced a rapid increase during this period.

During the first and second waves, Pohang had relatively few confirmed cases (1st wave: 51 cases from February to March 2020, 2nd wave: 62 cases from August to November), but from December last year to February 3rd this year, during the third wave, 339 confirmed cases occurred, accounting for 74.5% of the total confirmed cases over about two months.

In this regard, from the 26th of last month to the 4th of this month, a ten-day diagnostic testing campaign requiring at least one test per household (targeting 180,000 people) was conducted. A total of 26 screening clinics, 117 teams, and 437 personnel were mobilized, and by the 3rd, 190,472 people had completed diagnostic testing. As a result, 38 asymptomatic infected individuals and related confirmed cases were identified.

Pohang City will continue to operate three screening clinics (Nam-gu and Buk-gu Public Health Centers, Yangdeok Hanmaeum Gymnasium) and expand the epidemiological investigation teams from 4 to 16 teams to strengthen epidemiological investigations.

Lunar New Year Quarantine Message: 'Take a short break for one week'

Pohang City will operate a 'Special Quarantine Plan for the Lunar New Year' from the 8th to the 14th. The quarantine message for the holiday is set as 'Take a short break for one week,' focusing on promoting spending time with family at home, refraining from visiting relatives and traveling, practicing social distancing, and adhering to personal guidelines.

During the holiday period, Pohang City will implement a 'COVID-19 Mass Quarantine Day,' conducting extensive disinfection and inspections. Quarantine will be strengthened at facilities where people are likely to gather, including transportation facilities such as terminals, buses, and taxis, as well as distribution stores like traditional markets, department stores, marts, and memorial facilities for ancestral rites.

Two screening clinics (Nam-gu and Buk-gu Public Health Centers) will operate, and the 24-hour emergency medical system will be maintained as usual during the Lunar New Year holiday.

‘Vaccine Inoculation Plan’ for herd immunity formation through smooth vaccination

Pohang City plans to secure herd immunity by vaccinating 70% of its citizens by November. Vaccinations will be conducted systematically in stages according to vaccine supply and medical system to ensure citizens can safely receive vaccinations.

The city has set a goal of vaccinating 350,000 people and organized a 'Vaccination Promotion Team' consisting of 2 divisions and 5 teams, operating a public-private cooperation network called the 'COVID-19 Vaccination Regional Council.'

The 'Regional Council' is composed of 25 members including medical associations, nursing associations, general hospitals, and related organizations. It will establish a 'Safe Vaccination System' tailored to local conditions and situations.

The city will first open a regional vaccination center at Manindang and plans to open an additional center at Yangdeok Hanmaeum Gymnasium in the future. Additionally, 159 medical institutions that have completed COVID-19 vaccination training will be selected for delegated vaccination, and outreach services will be provided for vulnerable groups such as elderly care and severely disabled facilities.

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