The Updates of COVID-19 in Republic of Korea

As of 26 February, 2020

○ Compared to yesterday morning (09:00, 25 February, 2020), 253 additional cases are confirmed, which brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1,146 with 1,113 cases in isolation. 28,247 turned out to be negative and 16,734 are currently being tested.

  * Two cases(#298 and #875) passed away on 25 February and one case(#925) on 24 February. The cause of death is currently investigated. The 298th case, a Korean male born in 1962, belongs to Cheongdo Daenam Hospital. The 875th case is a Mongolian male born in 1984. The 925th case is a Korean female born in 1951.

○ Including 253 newly confirmed cases, the total of 1,146 cases are classified by the clusters and the regions as follows.

○ As of 26 February, 50 cases have been confirmed in Busan, 23 of which are related to Onchun Church. There are two cases confirmed in Asiad Hospital, so the patients and staff are under cohort-isolation at this moment. The patients with severe conditions will be referred to Busan Medical Center.

○ With regard to Shincheonji cluster, a list of Shincheonji members in Daegu is secured, and all of them are reached out to monitor symptoms and to provide proper guidance upon the onset of illness. Furthermore, all of 503 in-patients with pneumonia in the city have been tested, and six cases have been confirmed as of 25 February.

○ In Gyeong-buk province, confirmed cases were reported mainly in community centers and shelters. 22 out of 69 residents in Milal Shelter, two out of 88 residents in Kukrak Community Shelter, and one out of 11 residents in Daram Community Shelter were confirmed. The surveillance on such facilities will be therefore strengthened. The staff in Cheongdo Daenam Hospital who has been under isolation is confirmed, so the number of cases in the cluster are 114 in total. The 7th deceased case occurred in the cluster. The case is a Korean male born in 1962. He was a long-term patient at Daenam Hospital and passed away because of pneumonia. The link with COVID-19 is currently investigated.

○ Regarding the pilgrimage tour to Israel, the flight attendant who has been on board with the tour group are confirmed positive. A total of 31 confirmed cases are known to be related to the pilgrimage tour.

○ The third group of Korean nationals evacuated from Wuhan were all tested. Except the three people currently being tested for the second time, 144 other people were already confirmed negative; they can be released from isolation 26 February and sent home 27 February.

○ It seems that the confirmed cases are reported mainly from religious gatherings or community facilities, and the deceased cases were mostly people who have had underlying chronic conditions or vulnerable groups.