Here is the latest on the coronavirus spread in South Korea:
South Korea’s confirmed cases of the new coronavirus approached 2,400, with an additional three deaths being reported, on Friday as the nation worked to aggressively counter the fast-spreading virus with extensive testing. Health authorities renewed calls for citizens to keep away from others and avoid mass gatherings such as religious services over the weekend.
The 571 new cases — the sharpest daily spike yet, outnumbering 327 new cases reported in China earlier in the day — brought the nation’s total infections to 2,337, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Two days ago, the number of infections surpassed the 1,000 mark.
The latest fatalities all occurred in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, with the death toll here rising to 16. Health authorities said two of the latest victims posthumously tested positive for the virus, with one being confirmed on Feb. 23. All were women in their 60 through 90s, and were being treated at hospitals or in self quarantine when they died. Authorities said they are trying to determine the exact cause of their deaths.
South Korea confirmed its first new coronavirus case from a Chinese woman from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, on Jan. 20.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but I will ask the obvious question, why was a Chinese woman from Wuhan allowed into the country in the first place?
Here is the story of how patient 31 spread the coronavirus that has nearly sealed off Daegu from the rest of the country because of its spread:
Patient 31 first checked into the Saeronan Chinese Medicine Hospital on Feb. 7, complaining of headaches after being involved in a car accident the day before. According to the hospital, the patient didn’t have any record of traveling overseas nor any known contact with a coronavirus patient. She also didn’t have any fever, cough or respiratory symptoms.
On the third day of being hospitalized, the patient developed a fever and received a flu test, which came back negative, according to the hospital.
The next day, she left the hospital for two hours to attend a morning service at the Shincheonji church in southern Daegu, according to Korea’s CDC. It’s common in South Korea for hospital patients to come and go — even walking outside wearing hospital garb and wheeling intravenous drips alongside them.
The woman also had lunch with a friend at a hotel in eastern Daegu on Feb. 15 and attended another Shincheonji worship service on Feb. 16, the country’s health authorities said.
It wasn’t until Feb. 17, as her condition worsened and a scan showed signs of pneumonia, that doctors were prompted to test for the coronavirus. Ten days after Patient 31 first set foot in a hospital, her infection was confirmed after a diagnosis at a public health clinic.
Health officials in South Korea still don’t know how she was infected, and how she spread the virus to fellow Shincheonji members.
Bloomberg
You can read more at the link.
Of course numbers from China are unreliable, but if you believe the numbers, the spread of the coronavirus in South Korea is growing at a rate larger now than where it started:
South Korea reported yet another record spike of new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, with most new infections identified in the hardest-hit city of Daegu as virus tests started on more than 210,000 members of a religious sect at the center of the epidemic.
The 505 new cases, marking the sharpest daily spike yet and outnumbering the 433 new cases reported in China, where the virus originated, earlier in the day, took the nation’s total infections to 1,766, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
A 75-year-old virus patient who is tied to the religious sect in Daegu died of respiratory failure earlier Thursday, bringing the nation’s death toll to 13.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but of the 505 new cases 422 of them were in Daegu and mostly tied to members of the religious sect that began the outbreak in the city.
USINDOPACIFIC Command has announced that all non-essential U.S. military and civilian personnel are restricted from traveling to South Korea:
Travel to South Korea is being restricted immediately for all service members and civilians who are nonessential due to the growing cases of coronavirus in the country, the regional military combatant command announced Wednesday.
There are now 1,261 confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Korea, the largest outbreak of the virus outside of China, with 284 new cases reported as of Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization. So far, 12 people have died in the country.
Stars and Stripes
You can read more at the link.
Here is the latest on the spread of the coronavirus within the Shincheonji Church that is one of the mass infection locations in South Korea:
The Christian sect linked to more than half of South Korea’s COVID-19 infections said its leader’s brother received inpatient treatment for five days before dying at Daenam Hospital, where mass infections occurred.
Also, inpatients in the closed psychiatric ward of the hospital in Cheongdo, near Daegu, stayed out overnight, went out for appointments or had visitors on 25 occasions between Jan. 22 and Feb. 13, according to the hospital.
Most of the confirmed cases at Daenam Hospital were patients and health care workers in the psychiatric ward.
The hospital said it was still looking into how the psychiatric patients initially contracted the coronavirus.
Korea Herald
You can read more at the link.
I take that this news is only going to further pummel air travel on Korean Air:
A Korean Air flight attendant has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the South Korean airline announced on Tuesday.
Korean Air “is creating a structure to work very closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Korea (CDCK) to prevent the spreading of the virus,” a representative for the airline told Business Insider.
The airline is disinfecting aircraft, asking flight attendants with symptoms to self-quarantine, and installing thermal cameras at Korean Air’s operations locations.
The confirmed case also prompted Korean Air to temporarily shutter its office near the Incheon International Airport, the main airport in the South Korean capital, Seoul, so it could be disinfected.
Business Insider via a reader tip
You can read more at the link.
Here is the latest from US Army Garrison Camp Humphreys on which facilities on post are currently closed due to the coronavirus:
‼️MWR FACILITY and PROGRAM NOTICES‼️
(Updated 8:26 p.m., February 26)The following MWR facilities are closed February 27:
– Arts & Crafts Center
– Automotive Skills Center
– CAC/Family Fitness Center
– CAC Indoor Pool
– Discover Seoul
– Downtown Lanes Bowling Center
– Downtown Recreation Center
– First & Ten Restaurant
– Library
– Morning Calm Center
– Parent Central Services (limited Parent Central Services are available at Hess Child Development Center between 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Please call DSN 756-1104/1103 for additional information on limited services.)
– RBGC / Pub
– The White Heron Restaurant
———————————
The following facilities will have normal operation hours on February 27:
– Army Community Service (limited services)
– Flightline Restaurant (limited menu)
– Humphreys Army Lodging
– Warrior Zone
– Collier Fitness Center
– Collier Indoor Pool
– Sitman Fitness Center
– Turner Fitness Center
– Zoeckler Fitness Center
———————————
The following facility hours of operation are currently pending:
-Texas Roadhouse
———————————
Fitness and martial arts classes are canceled until further notice.
———————————
Effective February 26, operations at all USAG Humphreys Child and Youth Services facilities are suspended. This includes all Child Development Centers, School Age Center, and Youth Center. All Youth Sports, CYS Instructional Programs (SKIES), and Family Fields Trips remain suspended.
Also posted on Facebook is that all ACS classes have been suspended and the on post Pyeongtaek DMV is closed as well. Anyone needing licensing services needs to go to the downtown DMV.
Here is some additional guidance from US Army Garrison Humphreys that was posted on Facebook in regards to off-post activities:
AttentionHumphreys!
Under the current protection measures against COVID-19, military personnel are prohibited from participating in non-essential activities for entertainment. This includes off-post dining in restaurants, bars, clubs or movie theaters. Also, they are to stay away from gatherings larger than 20 people. Restaurant take-out is authorized. The same is recommended for civilian personnel and family members. All on-post activities are authorized.
On top of the closure and limiting of services on post, according to the Stars & Stripes it is taking up to 5 hours for people to enter Camp Humphreys because of the health checks being done at the gates.
Here is the latest gate hours for Camp Humphreys:
Dodu-ri Gate (Adams) (NO CHANGE) – 24 hour POV and Commercial access; All personnel
Donchang-ri (Yoon) (NO CHANGE) – 24 Hour POV access; All personnel
Hamjeong-ri (CHANGE) – OPEN 0530-1000 FOR INBOUND POV ACCESS; All personnel, No outbound traffic;
Pedestrian Gate (CHANGE) -24 Hour Pedestrian access; All personnel;
CPX (CHANGE) – OPEN 0530-1000 FOR INBOUND POV ACCESS; DoD ID Card Holder ONLY; No outbound traffic
Anjeong-ri (CHANGE) – OPEN 0530-1000 FOR CREDENTIALED MEDICAL PROVIDERS AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES ONLY
KNP will assist with off-post Traffic Control at Hamjeong-ri and Donchang-ri gates.
Tough times to be stationed in South Korea currently.
The virus continues to spread in South Korea with no hints of slowing down yet:
With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases nearing 1,000 on Tuesday, South Korea vowed to maximize its containment measures in the southeastern city of Daegu and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, where some 800 cases have been reported so far.
The 144 additional cases brought the nation’s total infections to 977, according to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It marked a more than 30-fold surge since Feb. 18, when the number stood at 31.
Two clusters of infections — at a branch of a religious sect in Daegu and a hospital in the neighboring county of Cheongdo — have continued to expand, accounting for about 70 percent of the total cases in the country.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
