South Korea is unable to contain the spread of pandemic ‘coronavirus’. The number of infections has increased by 229 to 433, officials said on Saturday, with most of the cases linked to the city of Daegu and surrounding region two hours south of Seoul.
A 61-year-old woman in Daegu is believed to be the main cause of the rapid spread and is thought to have passed the infection to dozens, and possibly even hundreds, of fellow worshippers at the controversial Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
The new cases that were announced on Saturday, 92 have been traced to patients or staff at CheongdoDaenam hospital near Daegu. “Most of the hospital’s patients who have been diagnosed are those who had been staying as inpatients for mental illnesses,” Seoul’s vice health minister, Kim Gang-lip, told a media briefing.
The area is, however, closely connected to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. It is the birthplace of its founder, Lee Man-hee, who has donned the mantle of Jesus Christ and claims that he will take 144,000 people with him to Heaven, body and soul, on the Day of Judgement.
A three-day funeral was held for Lee’s brother three weeks ago at a hall owned by the hospital, as told in a statement by the country officials. South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, on Friday called for a “thorough investigation” of everyone who attended the funeral and Shincheonji services.
On Saturday, Kim said that the outbreak had entered a serious new phase, but still expressed cautious optimism that it could be contained to the region surrounding Daegu, where the first case was reported on Tuesday.
By Saturday morning, the city of 2.5 million and nearby areas counted 283 cases, including South Korea’s first two fatalities in the Cheongdo hospital. The central government has declared the area as a special management zone and is channeling support to ease a shortage in hospital beds, medical personnel and equipment.
“Although we are beginning to see some more cases nationwide, infections are still sporadic outside of the special management zone of Daegu and North Gyeongsang province,” Kim said during a briefing. He called for strong border controls to prevent infections from China and elsewhere from entering South Korea.
Cases in South Korea have risen elevenfold since the 61-year-old woman became the 31st case recorded by the Korean centers for disease control and prevention on Tuesday. She had not travelled overseas recently, officials said.
Busan, South Korea’s second biggest city, recorded its first two cases on Friday. Several cases have been confirmed in Seoul although the source of infections – what scientists call the index case – has not been traced.
The central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 106 new deaths, while in the provincial capital of Wuhan 90 people died.
President Xi Jinping has, meanwhile, written a letter expressing thanks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the organisation’s support in this month committing up to $100m for the global response to coronavirus, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. “I deeply appreciate the act of generosity … and your letter of solidarity to the Chinese people at such an important moment,” Xi wrote.
