Updates on COVID-19 in Republic of Korea

21 May 2020

○ As of 0:00, 21 May 2020, a total of 11,122 cases (including 1,191 imported cases) have been confirmed, of which 10,135 cases (91.1%) have been discharged from isolation. Newly confirmed cases are 12 in total.

[Table 1. Total reported/tested cases]

* Figures may change based on findings from ongoing local epidemiological investigation efforts.

○ Of the 12 new cases, 2 were imported cases and 10 were locally transmitted cases.

○ From testing of 1,418 contacts related to Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, no additional case has been confirmed. Periodic testing and monitoring will be continued for all contacts and persons under active monitoring.

  * Of the total 1,418 persons subject to testing, 1,243 have been tested. 3 (the surgical nurses) have tested positive. 835 have tested negative. 405 are awaiting test results. 175 will be tested.

  - Of the 5 persons (acquaintances) who came in contact with the surgical nurses during 9-10 May, 2 were confirmed in Seoul City and Chungnam Province. Epidemiological investigation is underway for the business establishment visited by the confirmed cases in Seocho-gu, Seoul City.

○ At Daegu Meister High School for Agriculture, 1 student tested positive from testing conducted for dorm placement on 19 May. The 111 high school seniors of the school were sent home. Investigation on chain of transmission and epidemiological investigation are underway.

○ As of 12:00 today (5/21), there are a total of 206 confirmed cases related to the nightclubs.

  - By region: Seoul City=101, Gyeonggi Province=45, Incheon City=40, Chungbuk Province=9, Busan City=4, Jeonbuk Province=2, Daejeon City=1, Chungnam Province=1, Gyeongnam Province=1,
Gangwon Province=1, Jeju Province=1

  - By chain of transmission: Club visitors=95; Contacts (family/acquaintance/coworkers/etc)=111

  - By age group: [0-18]=25; [19-29]=118; [30-39]=29; [40-49]=17; [50-59]=8; [60+]=9

  - Male=165; Female=41

○ Assessment of environmental risks of coin singing rooms and PC cafes of the Vision Plaza building in Incheon City has found that the small, confined, and poorly ventilated spaces in combination with droplet-producing activities such as singing and conversation create a high risk of transmission.

  - Incheon city government has banned gatherings in coin singing rooms (karaoke rooms) for all people and regular singing rooms for persons under 19 years old from 21 May to 3 June.

○ KCDC has disclosed additional nightclub-related COVID-19 transmission locations and stressed the risk of transmission at enclosed/crowded spaces such as singing rooms and bars.

  * Singing rooms=12; bars=11; workplaces=11; after-school private academies=7; military unit=5; healthcare institutions=3; PC cafe=1; fitness gym=1 (distribution of 51 cases as of 0:00 of 20 May)

○ KCDC is requesting everyone who visited any of the nightlife entertainment venues in Itaewon area including any clubs or bars from 24 April to 6 May visit a screening clinic and get tested, especially if symptoms are present.

○ KCDC provided the following guidance for COVID-19 prevention and timely response in schools.

- Students, teachers, and staff should check their symptoms in the morning and stay home if they have fever or respiratory symptoms. They should keep facemasks on at all time while in school and strictly follow personal hygiene measures such as hand washing and cough etiquette.

- Students, teachers, and staff are urged to avoid karaoke rooms, PC cafes, nightclubs, and bars.

- Schools should ensure that every student’s body temperature is checked before the student enters classroom. If a student has temperature of 37.5 degrees or above or have other suspected symptoms, the school should have the student put on an MFDS-approved facemask (i.e. KF80, KF94, or KF99) and wait in a separate location while the school contacts the student’s parent or guardian.

- If a confirmed case is found in a school, all students, teachers, and staff of the school will be instructed to put on an MFDS-approved facemask and return home. Local municipal government will conduct epidemiological investigation, disinfection, restriction of use of the affected facility, and other necessary infection control measures.

○ Regarding public disclosure of travel routes of individual confirmed cases, KCDC requested municipal governments not to disclose personally identifiable information that is not essential for the purpose of preventing further spread of the infectious disease.

- The revised protocols for information disclosure outlines that the purpose of infectious disease prevention and the protection of privacy of confirmed case-patients should be taken into consideration to ensure that the disclosure includes only the information that is relevant and necessary for the prevention of infectious diseases.

- As per the revised protocols, “repeated mass exposure locations” are disclosed directly by KCDC and excluded from the travel routes of individual confirmed cases disclosed by municipal governments.

○ In light of the recent rise in local transmissions related to clubs, bars, karaoke rooms, and after-school private academies, KCDC urged people to refrain from social gathering or visiting any enclosed/confined/crowded spaces that are frequented by many people.

- People who cannot avoid visiting an enclosed/crowded space for an essential reason should carefully follow personal hygiene measures including keeping 2 meters of distance from other people, wearing a facemask, avoiding handshakes, washing hands, and not touching eyes, nose, or mouth with their hands.

- Persons belonging to high-risk groups (including elderly, pregnant women, persons with chronic illness) should especially avoid any poorly ventilated enclosed space frequented by many people. If such a situation cannot be avoided for an essential reason, it is highly important to wear a facemask.

○ Anyone who has come in close contact with a large number of unspecified persons in an enclosed/confined space such as clubs or bars need to be tested at a screening clinic through public health center or 1339 call center.

[Table 3: Regional distribution and epidemiological links of the confirmed cases]

[Figure 1: Daily confirmed cases by chain of transmission]

TOTAL

Gyeonggi

Province

Daegu

City

[Table 4: Age distribution of severe cases]

[Figure 2: New cases (for last 2 weeks) by chain of transmission]