Update on COVID-19 in Republic of Korea

16 March 2020

○ As of 0:00, 16 March 2020, a total of 8,236 cases have been confirmed, with 1,137 cases discharged from isolation. The regional distribution of the confirmed cases are as follows:

○ Epidemiological links have been found for 80.7% of the total cases; 19.3% are either under investigation or sporadic cases. More details on the epidemiological links within each province or city are shown in Table 1 on the next page. Distribution of the cases by sex and age groups are as indicated in Table 2. A graph of imported cases by period and region of origin is provided in Figure 1.

○ Five additional confirmed cases have been reported from the call center located in Guro-gu, Seoul, amounting to a current total of 129 confirmed cases from the call center since 8 March. As of now, 14 confirmed cases in Gyeonggi Province has been traced to have come in contact with a confirmed patient who is a worker at the 11th floor call center at a religious gathering. Further investigation and tracing are underway.

○ A current total of 46 confirmed cases have been reported from a church (Grace River Church) in Gyeonggi Province since 9 March. Further investigation and tracing are underway.

○ In light of the recent emergence of new confirmed cases by local transmission at close-contact indoor gatherings, the KCDC again strongly recommended that all such gatherings be canceled or refrained as best as possible.

○ In light of 4 new confirmed cases from airport quarantine during 14-15 March, the KCDC urged all travelers to take caution; the Special Entry Procedure has been extended to travelers from all European regions as of 0:00, 16 March, which requires the traveler to provide a confirmed contact information and report their symptoms daily for the next 14 days via self-diagnosis app on their mobile device.

○ Travelers who have visited Europe in the past 14 days are advised to minimize movement, adhere to personal hygiene measures, and keep watch for fever or respiratory symptoms carefully for the next 14 days. Upon noticing symptoms, they should visit a medical center with a screening facility with a mask on or call the KCDC at 1339.

○ As of 0:00 of 14 March, 714 patients (8.8% of 8,086 confirmed cases as of 14 March) have been discharged from isolation. On average, it took 14.7 days (median value: 15 days) from confirmed diagnosis to discharge. By age groups, the discharge rate was 9.7% for ages below 60 and 5.7% for those aged 60 or above.

○ Although the growth rate of new cases in Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions is showing a decline, the KCDC stressed the need to continue to stay vigilant, as smaller case clusters continue to emerge from community and religious facilities. The KCDC emphasized that the strict adherence to infection prevention measures should remain a top priority in everyday life and should become a “new normal”, stressing that workplaces and schools as well as society at large need to create an environment that strongly encourages those with suspected symptoms to stay at home and watch their symptoms.

○ The KCDC recommended that businesses and workplaces improve their on-site environment to enable distancing measures, periodically ventilate and disinfect their facilities, and adopt remote working environments for employees such as work-at-home and online collaboration.

○ The KCDC stressed the importance of continued adherence to social distancing measures to prevent transmission to high-risk groups. Expressing concern that the virus may be contracted by healthy adults and children via workplaces and schools and transmitted to the vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with underlying illnesses via healthcare facilities, social welfare centers, religious gatherings, or other community spaces and events. the KCDC strongly advised that the elderly stay at home as much as possible and refrain from visiting places visited by a large number of people.

○ The KCDC urged everyone to continue to adhere to personal hygiene and social distancing measures, and encouraged businesses and public facilities to keep hand wash and sanitizers in stock and put up posters to remind users to practice hand hygiene in all places.

[Table 1. Regional distribution and epidemiological links of the confirmed cases]

[Table 2. Distribution of the cases by sex and age groups]

[Figure 1. Imported confirmed cases by region of origin]