S. Korea reports 1st virus death; 2.5M urged to stay home

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea reported its first death from the new virus on Thursday while the mayor of a southeastern city urged its 2.5 million people to stay inside as infections linked to a church congregation spiked.

The death was the ninth confirmed from the virus outside mainland China. Other deaths have occurred in France, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the South Korean man, believed to be about 63 years old, died at a hospital on Wednesday and posthumously tested positive for the virus. Officials said he had been hospitalized due to schizophrenia for an extended period and recently suffered pneumonia symptoms.

The center also confirmed 22 additional cases of the virus, raising the total in South Korea to 104.



Workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant against the new coronavirus in front of a church in Daegu, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. The mayor of the South Korean city of Daegu urged its 2.5 million people on Thursday to refrain from going outside as cases of the new virus spike. (Kim Jun-beom/Yonhap via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/288e259961db4e6a6310a267b81eb680

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. 49 cases from just one woman - at her church, or elsewhere

and she was only diagnosed on Tuesday.

[soryang]

2. There were thousands of people in that building in Daegu

...and they came from widely dispersed areas. The conditions in the large auditorium where the service(s) she attended took place were conducive to transmission, with people crowded together in close contact. Earlier it was estimated that about 500 people were crammed in that space. A later report shows that thousands were in the building during the relevant periods. Half of the estimated contacts have not responded to government inquiry or the government has been unable to contact them.

[catsudon]

5. actually, this one reads like a

horror story...

she had fever on 2/10th, they wanted to test her, she refused twice

2/14 had CT scan, found pneumonia, hospital ask her to be tested for wuhan virus, she refused again

2/15 she took a cab to a Daegu hotel to attend a wedding

2/16 went to church to attend service , this is Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a known cult that have public prayers with people sitting side by side!

2/17 conditions worsen, finally accepted and tested positive....

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Thanks - so she went to 2 public events 5-6 days after symptoms

wow, she's got a lot to answer for.

[James48]

3. God help them all

I've been to a Korean church service.
If this bug is as contagious as it is reported to be, then nearly everyone in that service was exposed, and now everyone who has been in contact with anyone who was at that service is at risk.

The Korean society in general has what I think is more "close contact" than westerners- wit large apartment buildings and large numbers of people living and working close together in cities.

I pray for them all.

[Devil Child]

4. K & R !!!

[locks]

7. Live Science

online covers the "superspreader" incident well and says the Shinchconji church has closed down all its facilities as of today.