Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
SEOUL — The South Korean government will concentrate efforts not just on fighting the novel coronavirus, but also on minimizing its economic fallout, President Moon Jae-in reiterated Sunday, as the country reported the 25th case of the virus.
It is also pushing to send another chartered plane to China’s Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, to bring back the remaining Koreans, as well as their Chinese family members.
As of Sunday afternoon, the country had 25 patients infected with the virus, three of whom have been discharged from hospitals after making a full recovery.
The 25th patient is a 73-year-old Korean woman living in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. She is suspected of having contracted the virus from her daughter-in-law who visited China.
She showed symptoms of fever, cough and sore throat since Feb. 6, and is hospitalized at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam, just south of Seoul.
She has been living with her son and daughter-in-law, both of whom visited China’s Guangdong province from last November to Jan. 31 this year. Guangdong province saw some 1,075 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the second-biggest source of the virus infection.
Her daughter-in-law, who had been coughing since Feb. 4, and her son were sent to a hospital to undergo the coronavirus test, with the results expected later in the day, according to the health agency
Some 1,698 people have come into contact with those infected with the virus as of 11 a.m. Sunday, the agency said. Among them, 1,163 people are without any symptoms and in self-imposed isolation. Some 960 people were awaiting the results of the virus test.
More people in Korea underwent tests for the new coronavirus over the weekend, as health authorities have given doctors discretion to decide whether to proceed with virus tests on patients even if they have not been to China. Previously, only those who visited China were subject to virus tests.
President Moon on Sunday visited residents in Jincheon and Eumseong in North Chungcheong Province, where Koreans airlifted from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, are housed at a state-run facility.
“It was clearly confirmed that Korean society can sufficiently manage and overcome this disease,” he said.
Presided over by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, the government was set to discuss in the afternoon whether to send the third chartered flight to evacuate some 200 remaining Koreans from Wuhan. Chinese authorities have allowed Chinese nationals who are family members of Koreans to be airlifted to Korea.
Some 701 people airlifted by two chartered planes on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 were placed in isolation for a 14-day period at quarantine facilities in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, and Jincheon.
Some 14 Koreans onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama — 9 passengers and 5 crew members — did not show symptoms of the virus, according to local media citing diplomatic sources. Some 64 passengers onboard the cruise ship tested positive for the coronavirus.
As the virus spreads outside China, it has killed more than 810 people worldwide, with about 37,200 infections confirmed as of Sunday. It has spread to 25 countries, including Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Germany and the US, with about 300 people infected with the virus outside China.