▲ The Shincheonji Church is pointed out as the center of virus outbreak in Daegu.

The infection was accelerated in Daegu, on February 19th, especially by the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, one of the Christian sects. The number of the infected had remained under 50 before the mass infection in Daegu. The 31st patient is known as a super-propagator. Following the route of people who participated in Shincheonji gathering, the virus permeated the local societies. The government has reported 5 deaths from the virus so far.

▲ President Moon held a Conference regarding the virus situation.

President Moon held a Corona 19 Announcement of the Pan-Government Countermeasures Conference on February 23rd. In the conference, Moon raised the virus level to highest and urged the cooperation of medical staff, authorities, and the citizens. Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will be formed, and become the control-center of the outbreak. Also, to tolerate the medical response, Daegu and Chungdo are designated to 'special management area'. Also, he asked for the refrainment of gathering, which can fasten the spread of the virus. Following such actions, the start of the new semester is postponed to 1 week, according to the Minister of Education. It will be applied to every elementary school, middle school, and high school.

As South Korea becomes the country with the second-highest number of infected people, the global society is also focusing on the situation. WHO mentioned that it is cooperating close to control the spread of the virus in South Korea, on February 21st. Also, Israel has banned South Korean from entering its country. The government of South Korea expressed its regret toward the decision.

▲ Vaccine is under the development stage.

Personal hygiene is becoming more important as the virus is going harder to control. The medical staff is emphasizing the importance of wearing masks and washing hands. Although Inovio, the American bio cooperative is developing the vaccine, it will be applicable around year-end, so long battle is expected to not only South Korea but the whole globe.

February 23rd, 2020

by Seungwon Shin