49 Positive Cases in Cheonghae Unit Rapid Tests... "Mass Infections Unavoidable Situation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Among the 34th deployment of the Navy's Cheonghae Unit, which currently has 7 confirmed COVID-19 cases, it has been reported that 49 more personnel tested positive in additional rapid antigen tests.

As the results of the crew members' polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests requested from the local health authorities are delayed, concerns about a large-scale cluster infection are increasingly becoming a reality.

According to multiple military sources on the 17th, the commander of the 34th Cheonghae Unit sent a notice to the families of the unit members early that morning, containing information about the progress of the rapid tests and the living conditions of the personnel.

In the notice, the commander stated, "Around 3 p.m. yesterday (15th, local time), before the PCR test results were available, the antigen test results for the first 50 personnel came out, and except for one person, all tested positive," adding, "We will have to wait for the PCR results to be sure, but it seems inevitable that there will be a large number of confirmed cases."

Out of 50 personnel tested with rapid antigen test kits, 49 were confirmed positive.

Rapid antigen tests using these kits have the advantage of delivering results within 15 minutes after sample collection, but are known to be less accurate than PCR tests.

However, experts have noted that the false positive rate (the rate of negative cases incorrectly testing positive) is relatively low compared to the false negative rate (the rate of positive cases incorrectly testing negative), indicating that in this case, it is highly likely that the PCR tests will also confirm actual infections.

Currently, the 34th Cheonghae Unit's Munmu the Great-class destroyer (4,400 tons) is reportedly preparing to separate the ship's compartments entirely, dividing bedrooms and dining areas into cohorts (groups) while awaiting the PCR results.

As of 6 a.m. on the same day, one additional confirmed case was reported on the Munmu the Great, who was hospitalized at a local hospital after initially showing pneumonia symptoms, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 7 since the first case was identified on the 15th (based on the reporting date).

Additionally, around 1 a.m. that day, five crew members showing suspected pneumonia symptoms were transferred to a local hospital and admitted for treatment, increasing the total number of hospitalized patients to 12 (including 2 confirmed cases) so far.

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