Coronavirus: South Korea’s infection rate falls without citywide lockdowns like China, Italy

Coronavirus: South Korea’s infection rate falls without citywide lockdowns like China, Italy

South Korea has seen a steady decrease in new coronavirus  cases for four consecutive days, despite being one of the worst-affected countries outside China, although global attention has shifted towards outbreaks in Italy and Iran.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in  on Monday noted his country’s “slowing trend” of new infections but warned: “We should not be complacent at all.”

His point was underscored by the KCDC, which said that among the new patients were more than 60 people who were infected while working in close proximity to each other at an insurance company call centre.

“The total number of new confirmed cases is on a downturn but there are concerns over such mass infection cases”, said KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Jun-wook.

The steady decrease in cases has been attributed to a variety of factors, including mass testing, improved public communications and the use of technology. Extensive testing of members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which was linked to more than 60 per cent of the country’s cases, has been completed.

South Korean officials have shared their experiences in containing the outbreak, saying that citywide lockdowns, as imposed by China in Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, are difficult to enforce in an open society.

China also introduced strict social distancing and extensive monitoring of citizens and ensured their adherence to preventive measures with punishment and rewards, resulting in a significant drop in the number of new cases.

“Without harming the principle of a transparent and open society, we recommend a response system that blends voluntary public participation with creative applications of advanced technology,” South Korea’s Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told journalists.

Conventional and coercive measures such as lockdowns of affected areas have drawbacks, he said, undermining the spirit of democracy and alienating the public who should participate actively in preventive efforts.

“Public participation must be secured through openness and transparency,” he said.

South Korea has been proactive in providing its citizens with information needed to stay safe, including twice daily media briefings and emergency alerts sent by mobile phone to those living or working in districts where new cases have been confirmed.

Details about the travel histories of confirmed patients are also available on municipal websites, sometimes with breakdowns of a patient’s residence or employer, which can make them identifiable individually, leading to concerns about privacy.

The importance of maintaining good hygiene has also been stressed. South Koreans seldom leave their homes without wearing a face mask, with many buildings putting up signs reading “No Masks, No Entry”. Restaurant workers and retail staff wear masks while serving customers.

“I don’t like to wear a mask as I have to smell my own breath. I didn’t bother to wear as usual when I sneezed couple of times in the metro. Then other commuters frowned on me and stepped away from me. At that time, I decided to follow the trend and wear a mask,” said Min Gyeong-wook, a 35-year-old company employee.

South Korea has also come up with creative measures, including about 50 drive-through testing stations across the country, where it takes only 10 minutes to go through the whole procedure. Test results are available within hours.

Covid-19 tests are prohibitively expensive in many countries but in South Korea, all tests are free. The country is also capable of processing up to 15,000 diagnostic tests a day, and the aggregate number of tests has reached almost 200,000. This testing capability has enabled the country to identify patients early and minimise the harmful effects, health experts say. But this also led to South Korea having the second largest number of confirmed infections in the world after China, although this was superseded by Italy this week.

South Korea has established “special immigration procedures” to monitor arrivals for two weeks without having to ban inbound travellers from entering the country.

Those arriving from China, including Hong Kong and Macau but excluding Taiwan, have their body temperature checked, while their domestic contact information is verified and they are required to fill in a health questionnaire. They are also asked to download a self-diagnosis app on their mobile phones and put under intensive management if they show symptoms.

South Korea is also using its cutting-edge IT technology and its ubiquitous surveillance cameras to track infection sources, identifying the movements of confirmed cases based on their credit card transactions and mobile phone tracking, and disclosing this information to help trace those who may have come into contact with them.

Those who are at risk are placed in self-isolation and thoroughly managed on an individual basis by health authorities.

To cope with hospital bed shortages, the country has turned many job training centres and other public facilities into “living and treatment centres” where patients showing light symptoms of the coronavirus are placed in quarantine.

Professor Kim Woo-joo at Korea University College of Medicine said the country had gained experience from dealing with previous health emergencies, such as the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, which resulted in about 750,000 cases and 180 deaths in South Korea, and the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) outbreak, which infected 186 people and resulted in at least 39 deaths in the country.

“South Korea has learned valuable lessons from the outbreaks,” Kim said. “Public awareness of the need for individual hygiene such as washing hands and wearing masks has also been raised greatly, thanks to their experiences in the past outbreaks.”

The country has subsequently trained health workers to cope with pandemic outbreaks, especially testing for infections, tracking and isolating contacts.

“There are not many countries in the world like South Korea that have both brains and product facilities needed for coping with virus outbreaks,” said Hwang Seung-sik, a public health professor at Seoul National University.

Despite these facilities, Kim said it would be difficult for an open society such as South Korea or other OECD countries, to enforce lockdowns as seen in China.

This was highlighted when Hong Ik-pyo was forced to resign as the chief spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party after he came under fire over his remarks that Daegu City, the epicentre of the recent outbreak, should be locked down. The remarks came at a politically sensitive time, with parliamentary elections to be held on April 15.

Kim cautioned against premature optimism, noting that there have been small clusters of infections in some hospitals, apartments, churches and nursing homes in places other than Daegu, including Seoul and nearby Seongnam City.

Seoul’s Guro district on Monday said at least 46 people were infected at an insurance company call centre, where employees working in closed rooms are not allowed to wear masks so that they can speak clearly on the phone. Four more cases were family members of the employees, and 207 people who work on the same floor were being tested.

“The best scenario is the virus dies away in late March … The worst scenario is the virus spreads widely in metropolitan Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province,” Kim said. Almost half of South Korea’s 51 million citizens live in this area.

Kim Dong-hyun, president of the Korea Society of Epidemiology, said it is hard to prevent the Covid-19 illness  from spreading among community members as viral sharing can occur during asymptomatic periods.

“Countries should take drastic preventive measures, even at the initial stage of the virus outbreak,” he said.

Source: scmp.com

დატოვე კომენტარი

743 კომენტარი

  1. Hello there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment
    form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding
    one? Thanks a lot!

  2. When I initially commented I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment.
    Is there a way you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!

  3. Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your weblog.
    You have some really great posts and I feel I would be
    a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load
    off, I’d really like to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link
    back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested.
    Kudos!

  4. Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog.
    Is it tough to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
    I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to start.
    Do you have any points or suggestions? With thanks

  5. Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that
    I get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way
    I will be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently fast.

  6. Hello there I am so happy I found your weblog,
    I really found you by error, while I was looking on Askjeeve for
    something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say
    thank you for a remarkable post and a all round interesting blog (I also love
    the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the minute
    but I have book-marked it and also included your RSS
    feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the superb work.

  7. Fantastic site you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked
    about here? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get
    feed-back from other experienced people that share the same interest.

    If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
    Thanks a lot!

  8. Heya! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers?
    My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of
    hard work due to no backup. Do you have any methods to prevent hackers?

  9. Have you ever thought about publishing an e-book or guest authoring
    on other sites? I have a blog based on the same subjects you
    discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my visitors
    would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

  10. Hey would you mind sharing which blog platform
    you’re using? I’m going to start my own blog
    in the near future but I’m having a hard time deciding
    between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and
    Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking
    for something completely unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!

  11. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my
    own weblog and was curious what all is required to get set
    up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
    I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% certain. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks

  12. Do you have a spam problem on this website; I also am a blogger,
    and I was curious about your situation; many of us have developed some nice procedures and we are looking to trade methods with other folks, be sure
    to shoot me an email if interested.

  13. Awesome blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
    I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
    Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or
    go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed ..

    Any suggestions? Many thanks!

  14. I have been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or blog posts
    in this sort of space . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this website.

    Studying this information So i’m satisfied to show that I’ve a very just right uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed.
    I so much without a doubt will make sure to don?t put
    out of your mind this website and provides it a glance on a continuing basis.

  15. Howdy! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog.
    Is it tough to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I
    can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about making my
    own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any
    ideas or suggestions? Many thanks

  16. Great post. I used to be checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed!
    Very useful info specially the last phase 🙂 I take care of such information a lot.
    I used to be seeking this particular info for a very long time.
    Thanks and best of luck.

  17. I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here.
    The sketch is attractive, your authored material stylish.

    nonetheless, you command get bought an edginess over that you wish be delivering the following.
    unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this hike.

  18. Magnificent items from you, man. I’ve keep in mind your stuff previous to and you’re simply too great.
    I actually like what you’ve obtained right here, really like what you’re stating and the best way through which you assert
    it. You make it entertaining and you continue to care for to stay it smart.

    I cant wait to read far more from you. That is actually a wonderful site.

  19. This design is steller! You obviously know how to keep a reader
    entertained. Between your wit and your videos,
    I was almost moved to start my own blog (well,
    almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really loved what
    you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

  20. Do you have a spam issue on this site; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know
    your situation; we have created some nice procedures and we
    are looking to swap techniques with other folks, be sure to shoot me an e-mail
    if interested.

  21. hi!,I really like your writing very so much! proportion we be in contact extra approximately
    your post on AOL? I need a specialist on this space to solve my problem.
    May be that’s you! Taking a look forward to peer
    you.

  22. Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the web the easiest thing to be
    aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly do
    not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the
    whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal.
    Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

  23. Simply want to say your article is as surprising. The clearness in your post is simply great and i can assume you’re
    an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post.
    Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.

  24. Awesome site you have here but I was curious about if
    you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the
    same topics discussed in this article? I’d really love to be a part of online community where I can get
    suggestions from other knowledgeable individuals that
    share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

    Bless you!

  25. Everything typed made a great deal of sense. However, what about this?
    suppose you were to write a killer post title? I mean, I don’t want to tell you how to
    run your blog, but suppose you added a title that grabbed
    a person’s attention? I mean Coronavirus: South Korea’s infection rate falls without citywide lockdowns like China, Italy is kinda vanilla.
    You should peek at Yahoo’s home page and watch how they create article titles to grab viewers interested.
    You might add a video or a related picture or two to grab people interested about everything’ve got to say.
    Just my opinion, it could bring your posts a little livelier.

  26. Hi there I am so grateful I found your blog page, I really found you by accident,
    while I was searching on Bing for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just
    like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time
    to read it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so
    when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the fantastic work.

  27. Greetings from California! I’m bored at work so I decided to check
    out your website on my iphone during lunch break. I love the info you present
    here and can’t wait to take a look when I get
    home. I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone ..

    I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful site!

  28. hey there and thank you for your information – I have definitely picked up something new from right here.
    I did however expertise several technical points
    using this website, since I experienced to reload the site a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly.
    I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score
    if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding
    this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for much more of your respective exciting content.
    Make sure you update this again soon.

  29. Hey would you mind stating which blog platform you’re working with?
    I’m looking to start my own blog soon but I’m having a hard time choosing between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and
    Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and
    I’m looking for something unique. P.S Sorry for being off-topic
    but I had to ask!

  30. Having read this I believed it was really enlightening.
    I appreciate you taking the time and energy to
    put this article together. I once again find myself spending way too
    much time both reading and leaving comments.
    But so what, it was still worthwhile!

  31. Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you so
    much, However I am experiencing difficulties with your RSS.

    I don’t know the reason why I cannot join it.
    Is there anybody else getting the same RSS issues?
    Anyone that knows the answer will you kindly respond?
    Thanx!!

  32. I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this website.
    I am hoping to check out the same high-grade content by you in the future as well.
    In fact, your creative writing abilities has
    inspired me to get my own, personal blog now 😉

  33. hey there and thank you for your information – I’ve definitely picked up anything new from right
    here. I did however expertise a few technical issues using
    this site, since I experienced to reload the web site many times previous to I could get it to
    load correctly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?
    Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.

    Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my email and could look out for much more of your respective exciting content.
    Ensure that you update this again soon.

  34. Hey I am so delighted I found your site, I really found
    you by error, while I was researching on Bing for something else, Anyways I am here now and would
    just like to say thanks for a remarkable post and a all round enjoyable blog (I
    also love the theme/design), I don’t have time
    to look over it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and
    also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back
    to read much more, Please do keep up the awesome work.

  35. Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation;
    many of us have developed some nice procedures and we
    are looking to exchange techniques with other folks, please shoot me an email
    if interested.

  36. After checking out a few of the articles on your website, I truly
    like your technique of blogging. I book-marked it to my bookmark site
    list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my website too and let me know what you think.

  37. Fantastic goods from you, man. I’ve remember your stuff prior to and you’re simply too excellent.
    I actually like what you’ve got right here, certainly like what you’re stating and the way in which through which you
    say it. You are making it entertaining and you continue
    to take care of to stay it smart. I can not wait to learn far more from you.
    That is really a great website.

  38. Hello there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that
    it’s truly informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels.
    I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

  39. hey there and thank you for your info –
    I’ve definitely picked up anything new from right
    here. I did however expertise some technical issues
    using this website, since I experienced to reload the website
    a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly.
    I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I’m
    complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your
    placement in google and can damage your high-quality score if advertising and
    marketing with Adwords. Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my email and can look out for a lot more of your respective fascinating content.
    Make sure you update this again very soon.

  40. Today, I went to the beachfront with my children.
    I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed.
    There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants
    to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!

  41. Yesterday, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad
    and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot
    drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is
    now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic
    but I had to share it with someone!

  42. I’m really inspired along with your writing abilities as neatly as with the structure to your blog.
    Is that this a paid subject or did you modify it your self?
    Either way keep up the excellent quality writing,
    it’s uncommon to see a great weblog like this one today..

  43. Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective.
    A lot of times it’s very difficult to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and visual appearance.
    I must say that you’ve done a amazing job with this. Also, the blog loads very quick for
    me on Safari. Excellent Blog!

  44. Hello there, I found your blog by the use of Google while looking for a comparable subject, your
    web site got here up, it appears to be like good.

    I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
    Hi there, just turned into alert to your blog thru Google,
    and located that it’s really informative. I am going to be careful for brussels.
    I will appreciate in case you continue this in future.
    Lots of people will likely be benefited out of your writing.
    Cheers!

  45. I blog frequently and I truly thank you for your information. This article has really peaked my interest.

    I am going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new information about once a week.

    I subscribed to your RSS feed too.

  46. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but
    I find this matter to be actually something which I think
    I would never understand. It seems too complex and very broad for me.

    I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the
    hang of it!

  47. I seriously love your site.. Excellent colors & theme.
    Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m trying to create my own personal
    site and want to know where you got this from or what the theme is named.
    Cheers!

  48. My coder is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.

    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on numerous websites for about a year and am worried about switching to another platform.
    I have heard very good things about blogengine.net.

    Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts
    into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!

  49. Magnificent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just too fantastic.
    I actually like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are saying
    and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable
    and you still take care of to keep it smart.
    I can’t wait to read much more from you. This is actually
    a wonderful web site.

  50. Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to
    be running off the screen in Opera. I’m not sure if this
    is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know.
    The style and design look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Cheers

  51. Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask.
    Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a
    blog article or vice-versa? My website covers a lot of
    the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other.
    If you are interested feel free to shoot me an e-mail.
    I look forward to hearing from you! Terrific blog by the way!

  52. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this brilliant blog!
    I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.

    I look forward to fresh updates and will share this website
    with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

  53. It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy.
    I have read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting things
    or suggestions. Maybe you could write next articles referring to
    this article. I wish to read even more things about it!

  54. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this,
    like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you
    could do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog.
    A fantastic read. I’ll definitely be back.

  55. Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely
    long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying
    your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger
    but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any helpful hints for inexperienced blog writers?

    I’d really appreciate it.

  56. I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you
    design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
    Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog
    and would like to know where u got this from. kudos

  57. I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head.
    The issue is something that too few people are speaking intelligently about.
    Now i’m very happy that I stumbled across this during my search for
    something concerning this.

  58. My partner and I absolutely love your blog and
    find most of your post’s to be exactly what I’m looking for.

    can you offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs?
    I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on a few
    of the subjects you write regarding here. Again, awesome weblog!

  59. Hi, I do think this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going
    to revisit yet again since i have book marked
    it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to
    help other people.

  60. Great blog you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of
    any community forums that cover the same topics discussed here?
    I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get opinions from other knowledgeable people that
    share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
    Kudos!

  61. Thank you, I’ve just been searching for information about
    this subject for a long time and yours is the greatest I’ve discovered
    so far. But, what about the bottom line? Are you positive concerning the supply?

  62. Can I simply just say what a comfort to find someone who
    really knows what they’re discussing on the internet. You definitely realize how to bring a problem to light and make it
    important. More people must check this out and understand this side of your story.
    I was surprised you’re not more popular given that you most certainly have
    the gift.

  63. Hello I am so glad I found your blog, I really found you
    by accident, while I was browsing on Aol for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I
    also love the theme/design), I don’t have time
    to go through it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I
    have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the superb jo.

  64. Howdy! This post couldn’t be written any better!
    Reading through this post reminds me of
    my old room mate! He always kept talking about this.
    I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have
    a good read. Many thanks for sharing!

  65. Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you
    are just extremely fantastic. I really like what you have acquired
    here, certainly like what you are stating and the way in which you say
    it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it wise.
    I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is actually a terrific website.

  66. Magnificent items from you, man. I’ve have in mind your stuff previous to and you are simply too excellent.
    I actually like what you have obtained right here, really like what you are stating
    and the way through which you assert it. You make it entertaining and you still take
    care of to stay it smart. I can’t wait to learn much more from you.

    That is actually a wonderful web site.

დაამატე კომენტარი

თქვენი ელფოსტის მისამართი გამოქვეყნებული არ იყო. აუცილებელი ველები მონიშნულია *