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| ▲ The government has decided to temporarily suspend flights from London to Incheon until the end of the year to block the domestic spread of the new coronavirus infectious disease (Corona 19) mutant virus in the UK. | |
| Ⓒ Yonhap News |
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The domestic influx of mutant Corona 19 virus has been confirmed one after another. In particular, it was confirmed that one of the people infected with the mutant virus from the UK had been to a multi-use facility before being confirmed.
Some were concerned that the virus might have spread to local communities in Korea. However, the quarantine authorities drew a line saying that confirmed cases infected during the airport quarantine process were immediately quarantined and thus less likely to spread to the community.
The UK mutant virus is known to be 1.7 times more infectious. However, the fatality rate has not yet been confirmed.
Bang Dae-bon “Mutant virus, low possibility of spreading to local community”
On the 2nd, the introduction of a mutant virus from South Africa (below South Africa) was also confirmed for the first time. Accordingly, the quarantine authorities expanded the submission of a negative PCR (gene amplification test) confirmation that was previously targeting British and South African entrants (including transit passengers) to be mandatory for all foreigners entering Korea from the 8th.
On that day, the Central Defense Countermeasure Headquarters (Bang Dae-bon below) announced at a regular briefing that a total of 10 domestic confirmed cases were infected with the mutant virus. On the 28th of last month, the first five people infected with the mutant virus were discovered, and an additional confirmed person came out five days later. On this day, there were 4 confirmed cases of mutant virus from the UK and 1 confirmed case of mutant virus from South Africa.
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| ▲ On the afternoon of December 31, 2020, COVID-19 specimens are being collected at the Buk-gu Screening Clinic in Gwangju. | |
| Ⓒ Provided by Gwangju Buk-gu Office |
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The quarantine authorities viewed the likelihood of spreading the mutant virus from the UK to the community low. This is because three family members who entered the country on the 22nd of last month and a woman in their 20s who entered the country on the 24th were identified and quarantined during the airport quarantine process. However, one of the other family members infected with the mutant virus from the UK cannot be excluded from the possibility of transmission in the community.
The confirmed person first entered the country on November 8 last year and was lifted from self-isolation. Since then, it has been confirmed that they have visited multi-use facilities such as hospitals, beauty salons, and marts. The time when this confirmed person visited the multi-use facility was known 3 to 4 days before receiving the confirmation.
Daebon Bang explained, “(In the case of this confirmed case), it is not a violation of self-isolation because they were active after the period of self-isolation was lifted,” and said, “There has not been a confirmed case among people in contact with the community.” Previously, the local government took measures to self-isolate four of the hospital and beauty salon officials visited by the confirmed patient. Bang Dae-bon is also known to be scrutinizing people in contact with the confirmed case.
A confirmed person infected with the mutant virus that is prevalent in South Africa was immediately quarantined after entering South Africa on the 26th of last month.
Mutant virus, the danger has yet to be confirmed
The number of infected mutant viruses is increasing, but the risk has not been confirmed, other than the high infectivity.
On this day, Kim Eun-jin, head of the 1st inspection and analysis team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “Currently, no other information has been confirmed other than the report that the spread of the British mutant virus has increased by about 70%.”
Regarding the mutant virus originating in South Africa, he said, “There have been reports of an increase in transmission power based on the number of patients,” and “There are no reports on appearance such as fatality rate.”
According to Bang Dae-bon, the South African mutant virus was identified as a GH group. It is the same as the virus group that has been prevalent in Korea since May, but the individual mutant genes are different.
Earlier, from the 29th of last month, the government restricted the issuance of new visas to those entering the UK and South Africa. Flights from the UK were suspended until the 7th.
Group infection spread, ongoing type
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| ▲ Eastern detention center prisoners waving their hands On the morning of December 29, a detainee is waving his hand at the Eastern Detention Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where 750 confirmed cases were caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. | |
| Ⓒ Yonhap News |
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The spread of group infection, centered on religious facilities, nursing homes, and senior care centers, has not declined. In the metropolitan area, several new cases of group infection have occurred, mainly in religious facilities, nursing homes, and elderly protection centers.
Seven additional people were tested positive in connection with the Guro-gu nursing hospital in Seoul, and nine more were confirmed after the first confirmed case on December 30 at a religious facility in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. In connection with a nursing home in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, a total of 10 people, including workers, residents, and family members, have been infected and are undergoing treatment since the 28th of last month.
An elderly protection center in Pyeongtaek City also has 13 confirmed cases to date. In Pyeongtaek City, cases of new group outbreaks centered on acquaintance travel and sauna were confirmed. To date, a total of 23 people, including family, acquaintances, sauna users and workers, have been confirmed.
The scale of infection in existing group infection cases is also increasing. Thirteen additional infections were confirmed during follow-up of the quarantine in connection with the Eastern Detention Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. As a result, the cumulative number of confirmed cases increased to 958. 95.6% of the confirmed cases, or 916, are prisoners.
An elderly welfare facility in Dongdaemun-gu has four additional people, and the cumulative number of confirmed patients reaches 36. The cumulative number of confirmed cases in the Guro-gu Smile Nursing Hospital and nursing home increased by 7 to a total of 200.
26% of patients with unknown infection route
On the other hand, the proportion of’unknown infection route’ patients who do not know when and where they were infected remained in the 26% range. Of the 14,030 new confirmed cases that occurred from the 20th of last month to this day, 3684 are currently investigating the path of infection, accounting for 26.3% of the total.
The script said, “Through the temporary screening office in the metropolitan area, there are more than 100 confirmed cases a day,” and “The’infection route investigation’ rate is close to 30%, and the third epidemic crisis is still in a difficult situation.” Revealed.
Accordingly, the quarantine authorities decided to extend the operation of temporary screening tests operating in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon for another two weeks until the 17th in accordance with the extension of the current social distancing stage.
However, starting on the 4th, the’saliva sample PCR’ test, which has relatively low preference among the three test methods, will be excluded. The operating hours are also planned to be reduced from 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays and from 9 am to 1 pm on weekends. Depending on the test results and conditions, the number of temporary screening tests will be reduced to nine from 153 to 144.