811 Group Infection Confirmed Cases This Year... "Must Follow Quarantine Rules"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases related to group outbreaks has surpassed 800 this year.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 16th, a total of 811 confirmed cases related to group infections have been recorded so far.

There have been 14 group infections in medical institutions, totaling 522 cases. By region, 9 cases occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area, and the remaining 5 cases were outside the metropolitan area.

By hospital type, general hospitals accounted for the largest number with 5 cases and 246 patients. Nursing hospitals had 2 cases with 105 patients, and rehabilitation hospitals had 3 cases with 77 patients.

Group infections in medical institutions mainly started from viruses introduced externally through caregivers, guardians, or staff. The CDCH judged that the group infections occurred due to insufficient infectious disease management and supervision in medical institutions.

There were 8 group outbreak cases related to indoor sports facilities, with 251 confirmed cases. By type, there were 2 cases at fitness centers with 50 patients, 2 cases at swimming pools (27 patients), 1 case at dance halls (72 patients), 1 case at Taekwondo dojangs (58 patients), 1 case at screen golf centers (26 patients), and 1 case at table tennis halls (18 patients).

Swimming pools and fitness centers appear to have led to group infections because masks were not worn in shared facilities such as shower rooms and changing rooms. The CDCH noted that table tennis halls and Taekwondo dojangs had relatively high droplet (saliva) generation, which increased the scale of infections.

The CDCH reported that dance halls and screen golf centers did not designate quarantine managers and failed to properly manage entry logs.

At an Islamic center in Gyeonggi-do, 19 congregants were infected as of midnight on the day. The increase in confirmed cases is believed to be due to inadequate management of entry logs and multiple people sharing accommodations within the facility.

The CDCH emphasized that to prevent group infections in multi-use facilities, quarantine rules must be strictly followed.

Lee Sang-won, head of the CDCH Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Division, requested during an online briefing, "Please check whether foreigners have had contact with confirmed cases, and if they have suspicious symptoms, guide them to get tested promptly nearby."

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