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| Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul restricts the entry of visitors as it is treating the nation's sixth confirmed patient of the new coronavirus, Thursday. /Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea reported its first case of a human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus, Thursday, with the total number of confirmed cases rising to six, according to the government.
The case has put the health authorities on even higher alert over the deadly virus, and is likely to force the government to come up with strengthened and more comprehensive quarantine measures than previous ones that have focused on controlling the entry to the country of people from ― and those who had visited ― China.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the two additional cases were reported late in the afternoon.
The fifth confirmed patient is a 32-year-old businessman, who recently visited the city of Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the viral disease outbreak, and returned here Jan. 24. The man, who had a cough due to asthma, had been under government observation despite having no fever. However, he tested positive for the virus and was quarantined at Seoul Medical Center.
The sixth confirmed patient is a 56-year-old man, and his case is believed to be the nation's first case of person-to-person infection as he had not visited China recently but was in contact with the country's third confirmed patient.
The third patient did not show symptoms of the virus when he returned from China, Jan. 20, and so was not under quarantine. He therefore had acted as usual, meeting acquaintances and visiting a hospital, restaurants and cafes in Gangnam, southern Seoul, and Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, before testing positive Jan. 26. He had a meal at a restaurant in Gangnam with two acquaintances Jan. 22, one of them being the sixth patient.
As the sixth patient was not quarantined until the third patient was confirmed, it is also possible that he, too, may have transmitted the virus to others.
He is now quarantined at Seoul National University Hospital, and his condition is stable, according to the KCDC.
The human transmission of the virus has raised grave concerns as the number of infections could skyrocket within a short period.
The KCDC said it was conducting an epidemiological investigation on the two additionally confirmed patients, tracing whom they met over the past few days.
It said the four earlier confirmed patients were in generally stable conditions and that the first three were showing improvement. The fourth confirmed patient was receiving oxygen after experiencing symptoms of pneumonia, but he was not in a critical condition, it said.
Meanwhile, the government sent a chartered plane to Wuhan, Thursday evening, to evacuate Korean citizens there.
The administration initially planned to send two planes, but the departure was delayed and only one plane was sent after more discussions with the Chinese government. The plane is scheduled to bring the people back to Korea and arrive at Gimpo International Airport this morning.
While more than 700 Koreans in Wuhan and nearby cities have applied for evacuation, the first plane will only be able to bring 360; the rest will be brought out on the next plane, the schedule of which has not yet been confirmed. Of the 700, only those showing no signs of symptoms of the virus will be allowed to board the flights.
