576 COVID-19 Cases Early Detected at Highway Inspection Stations... 12% Positivity Rate

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] During the Chuseok holiday period, 576 confirmed COVID-19 cases were detected early at temporary screening clinics set up at highway rest areas.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held a meeting on the 14th to report on the operation status of temporary screening clinics at highway rest areas during the Chuseok holiday and the results of special traffic measures.

According to the Central Disaster Headquarters, from the 7th to the 12th of the Chuseok holiday, a total of 4,473 people were tested at temporary screening clinics installed at highway rest areas in the Gyeonggi, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam regions. The government allowed anyone, regardless of age, to receive free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests at these highway rest area clinics during the holiday period.

As a result of the tests at these clinics, a provisional total of 576 confirmed cases were detected early, representing a positivity rate of approximately 12.9%. By clinic location, 465 cases were confirmed at four sites in the Gyeonggi region, 71 cases at four sites in the Jeonnam region, and 40 cases at one site in the Gyeongnam region. The government plans to continue operating a total of five clinics?four in Gyeonggi and one in Gyeongnam?until the 15th.

Additionally, as a result of operating emergency medical systems such as duty hospitals and pharmacies during the Chuseok holiday, a total of 32,923 hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies provided medical treatment and prescriptions.

Six duty hospitals in the metropolitan area, which respond to high-risk pregnant women, newborns, and patients requiring emergency surgery due to severe or emergency COVID-19 conditions, used three hospital beds during the holiday period for cases involving symptom worsening during home treatment or emergency surgery. Authorities plan to designate and operate weekend duty hospitals until the fourth week of this month.

From the 5th to the 11th, which included the first Chuseok holiday after the lifting of social distancing measures, nationwide mobility reached 282.78 million trips, an increase of 1.2% (3.26 million trips) compared to the same period before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019. Although the total number of travelers during the holiday decreased by 3.5% compared to last year due to the holiday being one day shorter, the average daily number of travelers was 6.32 million, an increase of 15.8% compared to last year.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, stated, "As with last year, the number of confirmed cases may temporarily increase after the holiday period. Please carefully monitor for symptoms before returning to daily life, and if you notice any abnormalities, avoid going to work or using crowded facilities and get tested."

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