South Korea: 179 recovered patients again test positive for coronavirus

South Korea’s Centres for Disease Control (KCDC) and Prevention on April 19 reported that another 16 people who had recovered from coronavirus and were released from quarantine have tested positive again for the disease. As of now, 179 people in total have retested positive after they were released from isolation. While speaking to an international media outlet, KCDC director Jung Eun-Kyeong said that it is still unclear why patients could be retesting positive. Meanwhile, South Korea, which once had the highest number of coronavirus cases, is now reporting comparatively fewer numbers. 

Jung reportedly said that experts think that it is unlikely that somebody will be reinfected right after recovering. However, he added that it is possible that issues with testing or varying amounts of viral RNA in the body could explain why people test positive after testing negative. Jung said that the experts are doing an in-depth epidemiological investigation to figure out the cause. 

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According to reports, among all the cases who have retested positive, patients in their 20s made up the highest number, with 41 cases. Followed by patients in their 50s, with 32 cases. Jung reportedly said that most such cases test positive after an average of about 13 days following release from quarantine. He added that so far no secondary infections have been reported from these cases. 

Coronavirus outbreak

Meanwhile, as South Korea is reporting a fewer number of cases, President Moon Joe-in said that his country’s progress gave hope that the COVID-19  outbreak was surmountable in other parts of the world as well. Further in his address, Moon said that the South Korean government will prepare for new daily lives and the new world order 'post-COVID' with the unified power of the citizens.

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South Korea reported its first case in January and numbers remained in single digits till mid-February. However, from February 19 onwards, the numbers started skyrocketing. The number of infection peaked on February 29 with 909 cases but strict lockdown measures, contact tracing, and mass testing helped Seoul bring back the number of infected down. 

Coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 160,000 lives worldwide as of April 19. According to the tally by an international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 210 countries and territories and has infected more than 2.3 million people. Out of the total infections, more than 600,000 have recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries including Spain, and the economy is struggling. 

(Image source: AP) 

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