9 in 10 COVID-19 patients in S. Korea had mild symptoms—health execs

(West Gwangju-Yonhap) via The Korea Herald

SEOUL — About 91 percent of South Korea’s COVID-19 patients had mild symptoms but those in their 50s and older are more likely to develop severe symptoms, health authorities said Wednesday.

According to an analysis by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36 percent of the patients were admitted to treatment facilities set up for those with mild or no symptoms, 62 percent at hospitals and 2 percent at home for isolation and treatment.

According to the analysis on 8,976 patients who had died, or were released from quarantine by April 30, three in 10 confirmed patients admitted to hospitals and seven in 10 patients at treatment facilities were asymptomatic.

Some 58.2 percent of those in their 80s showed severe symptoms, followed by those in their 70s at 37.7 percent, those in their 60s at 17.1 percent, those in their 50s at 8.3 percent, those in their 40s at 3 percent. Patients in their 30s marked 1.8 percent and those in their 20s at 0.8 percent.

The average length of time for treatment was 20.7 days and a bit longer for those with severe symptoms — 23.7 days.

Meanwhile, church-related activities outside regular services will be banned starting Friday as part of efforts to curb the novel coronavirus from being spread through religious gatherings.

All church-related activities — such as small gatherings for Bible study, hymn singing practice, events and mass meals — will be banned starting 6 p.m. Friday, with mask-wearing and QR code registration of visitors at churches to become mandatory.

“Churches were not designated as high-risk facilities, so regular services can proceed as usual, but they should abide by basic quarantine rules such as keeping a log of visitors and wearing a mask,” said Kim Gang-lip, vice Health and Welfare Minister, at a briefing Wednesday.

Visitors to churches will be required to register their identities by generating a one-time, personalized QR code that can be scanned at the door. The personal information will be logged in a database for four weeks, to be automatically discarded after the period.

Other quarantine rules include a keeping at least 1-meter distance among visitors, wearing a mask, designating a person in charge of ensuring adherence to the quarantine rules, among other things.

In case of violation of the quarantine rules, those in charge of the churches or visitors could face a fine of up to 3 million won, and the churches could be forced to be shut down.

On Wednesday, Korea’s daily new COVID-19 cases bounced back to above 60, with the highest number of imported cases in about three months.

Of the 63 new cases, 33 were imported and the rest locally transmitted, with the country’s total caseload at 13,224, according to the KCDC.

Of the imported cases, 11 people were detected during the quarantine screening process at the border and the rest while under home quarantine after arrival.

Health authorities, however, have been less concerned about the imported cases as they are detected either at the border or while under the mandatory two-week isolation upon their entry.

As for locally transmitted cases, 11 cases were registered in Gyeonggi Province. Seven were reported in Gwangju in connection with a previously identified Buddhist temple cluster. Five cases were reported in Seoul, three in South Chungcheong Province, two in Daejeon and one each in Incheon and South Jeolla Province, according to the KCDC.

So far, 11,970 people, or 90.4 percent, have been released from quarantine after making full recoveries, up 56 from a day earlier. Some 989 people are receiving medical treatment under quarantine.

The death toll remains unchanged at 285. The overall fatality rate stands at 2.15 percent, though it is much higher for those in their 80s or over at 24.82 percent and those in their 70s at 9.37 percent.

The country has carried out 1,359,735 tests since Jan. 3, with 24,012 people awaiting results as of Wednesday.