Coronavirus: South Korea new COVID-19 front as 100 fresh cases confirmed
A woman from a controversial Christian church is believed to be a superspreader after dozens of followers contracted COVID-19.
Friday 21 February 2020 23:12, UK
South Korea has become the newest front for the coronavirus outbreak outside China as 100 new cases were confirmed on Friday.
A health emergency was declared in the southeastern city of Daegu, the country's fourth largest, where the new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, were diagnosed.
The government was forced to focus on steps to contain the domestic spread of coronavirus, not just its entry from abroad, as the number of total cases in the country reached 204.
A woman in her 50s became South Korea's second death from COVID-19 on Friday after she was transferred from Daegu to the southeastern city of Busan.
In other coronavirus developments:
- Mainland China reported a further fall in new daily virus cases on Friday to 889, bringing the total number of suspected and confirmed cases to 75,467
- In China, 118 more people died on Friday, raising the total to 2,236
- 14 people have died outside the mainland: Four in Iran, two in Hong Kong, two in South Korea, two from the Diamond Princess cruise liner, one each in France, Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan
- Two people died in Iran from COVID-19 on Friday after two died on Thursday, with 13 more cases confirmed bringing the total to 18
- Six people in Italy's Lombardy region have contracted the virus since Wednesday, the first in the country
- Footage showed dancers from the Shanghai Ballet Company training in face masks following a two week self-quarantine
- Around 35 British passengers on the Diamond Princess ship quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, are due to be flown home on Friday evening
- A total of 634 cruise passengers have contracted COVID-19, including four Britons
- Protesters in Ukraine attacked buses carrying evacuees from China to a hospital after a fake email wrongly claimed some had already contracted the virus.
in South Korea, most of the cases have been linked to a controversial church in Daegu which has been branded as a cult as it sees founder Lee Man-hee as an angel of Jesus sent to testify about the fulfilled prophecies of the book of Revelation.
The Shincheonji church, which has about 200,000 followers, said it has closed all 74 venues around South Korea and told followers to watch its worship services on YouTube.
Health officials are disinfecting its church in Daegu, which has about 8,000 followers and the city's streets were empty on Friday.
A 61-year-old woman, who attends the Daegu branch, was confirmed as having COVID-19 on 18 February and is believed to be a "superspreader" of the virus within the church.
Doctors diagnosed her after she was taken to hospital due to a car crash and developed a fever three days later.
She had not travelled abroad recently and is not aware of coming into contact with other infected patients, officials said.
Known as "Patient 31", she attended church services in Daegu and had been to a funeral attended by several members of the church, creating a "superspreading event", health authorities said.
President Moon Jae-in ordered immediate action to track down followers who had recently visited the Daegu church and a hospital in the southeastern city of Cheongdo, where many cases have been reported in the past three days.
Three military personnel were also confirmed as having COVID-19 on Friday after recently being in Daegu.
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A sailor on Jeju Island and an army office in North Chungcheong province tested positive, while an air force officer based in Daegu who had travelled to military headquarters in central South Korea also did, prompting the quarantine of 80 soldiers there.
Authorities will also close 3,500 senior welfare centres across Seoul, the capital, as the elderly are most at risk of contracting COVID-19.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the increase in cases in South Korea does not signal an increased risk of a global pandemic as the cases were mostly linked to known, existing clusters of infections.
China's ruling politburo warned on Friday the turning point of the outbreak in China has not yet come as it said the situation in Hubei province, where it originated, remained severe and complex.
State television, quoting a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping, said that while the impact from coronavirus on China's economy is obvious, it was confident it will not stop the long-term upward trend.
It said fiscal policy will be more proactive and effective while prudent monetary policy will be more flexible, with the government ready to fend off systemic financial risks.