South Korea: 116 people initially cleared of coronavirus again test positive

In an unprecedented development of coronavirus outbreak in South Korea, on April 13 it recorded that at least 116 people who had initially recovered from COVID-19 disease have again tested positive. The new cases came as the officials in the country have suggested that they would start easing the restrictions that were initially imposed on South Korea to curb the drastic spread of the novel virus. Although South Korea had reported only 25 new cases on April 13 of COVID-19 but recorded an overall hike in ‘reactivated’ virus patients of the pathogen.

It has further raised concerns for the authorities who are currently investigating the cause behind sudden relapse of the coronavirus patients. The director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Jeong Eun-kyeong, has said that the virus might have been ‘reactivated’ instead of person getting ‘reinfected’.

On the contrary, other officials have cited faults in the COVID-19 testing as a probable cause of showing a spike in infections of people previously treated. The number recorded cases of April 13 in South Korea, 116 is more than double than of 51 such cases reported a week earlier. Meanwhile, as of April 14, the country has recorded over 10,564 cases with 222 fatalities. 

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S Korea to export 6 lakh COVID-19 testing kits to US

South Korea is planning to send COVID-19 kits to the United States, which can conduct up to 600,000 tests for the pathogen. An official from Seoul told an international news agency on the condition of anonymity that, it was decided after the appeal by US President Donald Trump over the phone to South Korean President Moon Jae-in on March 25, while the US was struggling with escalating cases of the coronavirus. 

South Korea-based companies have previously shipped kits to the US but reportedly this latest one will be the first bulk order from the US federal government. According to the international news agency, a cargo plane of Federal Emergency Management Agency carrying the entire equipment is scheduled to leave 1330 GMT on April 14 and the report was confirmed by South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha in an interview with a French channel. South Korea will also export an additional package of kits that can reportedly conduct as many as 150,000 tests through an unspecified local retailer. 

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Read - South Korea To Export 6 Lakh COVID-19 Testing Kits To US: Reports

(With agency inputs)

Image Source: AP