South Korea: New infections drop to lowest level in 3 weeks

(Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)

SEOUL — The Korean government remains cautious on additional clusters of the novel coronavirus infections in enclosed spaces, although new infections dropped below 100 for the first time in over three weeks Sunday.

Korea reported 76 new cases of coronavirus and three more deaths Sunday, bringing the nation’s total infections to 8,162 and the death toll to 75, according to health authorities.

Daily new virus cases in the southeastern city of Daegu, at the heart of the country’s virus outbreak, peaked at over 700 on Feb. 29, but fell to 41 on Sunday.

While cases in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province have been on the wane, a series of group transmissions in enclosed spaces such as postpartum care centers, internet cafes and churches in the metropolitan area has spawned concerns.

According to the government data, cases linked to cluster infections account for 80.8 percent. Among them, 61.3 percent were related to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

“As small-scale transmissions continue mainly in various workplaces, religious facilities, internet cafes and medical institutions in the metropolitan area, we believe that it is important to strengthen preventive management centered on group and multiuse facilities,” Kwon Joon-wook, director of the National Institute of Health, said at a briefing Sunday.

Kwon stressed the importance of keeping a social distance, which he believes could prevent further spread of the virus in the local community.

“If we raise the level of defense to the point where the social distances of our people can break the chain of transmission, there may not be any further spread in the local community even if it is an influx from overseas or sporadic occurrence,” he said.

At least 124 cases have been traced to an insurance company’s call center with about 700 workers in Guro-gu, Seoul. Not only those who work at the center, but other tenants of the building contracted the respiratory virus.

A church attended by a call center employee in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, reported 14 cases, including 13 who took part in the same service and a pastor.

A nursing hospital in Bucheon has been placed under cohort isolation as a 49-year-old nurse assistant at the facility tested positive for the virus on Friday.

The nurse had contacted 182 people, including patients and hospital staff, while working at Bucheon Hanna Nursing Home on Wednesday and Thursday.

Among 164 people, including 142 patients, who were put under group quarantine, 102 people tested negative, while others await test results.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases at a church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, climbed to six, as a 61-year-old pastor and his wife tested positive Sunday.

Seongnam Mayor Eun Soo-mi urged residents to refrain from attending large worship services for the safety of the community.

In Seoul, a cook at a postpartum care center in Dobong-gu was found to have contracted the virus, leading to a temporary shutdown of the entire building. There was no contact between the infected cook and seven mothers and babies who were at the center.

Among those infected, 61.6 percent have been female. By age, those in their 20s made up the largest portion at 28.2 percent, followed by those in their 50s (19.2 percent), 40s (14 percent) and 60s (12.4 percent).

The death rate for the novel coronavirus here currently is 0.92 percent, lower than the global rate of 3.4 percent reported by the World Health Organization on March 4.