Chinanews.com, March 4th. As of 16:00, March 3rd, Beijing time, more than 10,000 confirmed cases have been made outside China. Among them, South Korea is the region with the highest number of infections outside China. As of the afternoon of the 3rd, 5,186 cases have been confirmed in South Korea. President Moon Jae-in said on the same day that South Korea "has entered into a war against infectious diseases" and emphasized that the entire people must work together to overcome the epidemic.
Data map: South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Photo by Zhongxin News Agency reporter Zhong Xin
[More than 5,000 confirmed cases in South Korea]
South Korea ’s Central Office of Epidemic Prevention reported that from 0:00 on the 3rd to 4:00 pm local time, 374 new cases were diagnosed in South Korea, accumulating 5,186 cases, and the number of cases has exceeded 5,000 since 43 days after the first patient in South Korea.
Currently, South Korea has accumulated 31 deaths. The country's central epidemic countermeasures head, Quan Quanyu, said that the mortality rate of severe cases in South Korea is about 0.6%, and it is expected that it will continue to be controlled at this level in the future.
On the 3rd, three new confirmed cases were added to the Korean Army, with a total of 31 cases. About 7,410 active-duty military personnel have been isolated at their bases. The three newly diagnosed patients came from Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, respectively, making them the worst places in Korea. As of 0:00 on the day local time, 4,286 cases have been confirmed in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do.
There were 2698 confirmed cases related to "Xintiandi Church", accounting for more than 56.1% of the total. On the 1st, the Seoul Metropolitan Government sued Li Wanxi, founder of Xintiandi Church, and others to the Central Procuratorate of Seoul for violating the Infectious Disease Prevention Law, as well as suspicion of killing and injury.
[Wen Zaiyin: South Korea Enters 'War' Against Infectious Diseases]
On March 3, during a video state conference, Wen Zaiyin pointed out that South Korea "has entered a war against infectious diseases" and all government organizations must be converted into a 24-hour emergency mechanism.
Wen Zaiyin apologized to the people, saying that the government failed to provide the people with masks quickly and adequately. He asked the relevant government departments to work closely to resolve the difficult problem of masks as soon as possible.
On the same day, Kwon Min-woo, copy director of the Central Epidemic Prevention Countermeasure Department of South Korea, pointed out that the case fatality rate can be controlled by cutting off transmission routes, tracking the source of infection, conducting epidemiological investigations on contacts, and keeping distance between people.
He also said that the epidemic situation in China is relatively stable, thanks to the Chinese government's efforts to prevent and control the epidemic and the spontaneous participation of the entire people.
Data map: On March 1, outside a supermarket in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, people lined up to buy masks. Photo by China Press Agency
[Masks difficult to buy, hospital beds strained and affected many industries]
Right now, masks have become a necessity in the daily life of Korean people. To alleviate the tight supply of masks, the South Korean government began selling 5.88 million masks at official designated sales offices such as the post office on March 2. People from all over the country lined up long queues.
Recently, the number of cases of Daegu infection has continued to increase, and the number of deaths caused by the lack of timely treatment due to tight beds has risen. Daegu City's Security Policy Headquarters stated that as of 9 a.m. local time on the 1st, there were a total of 2569 confirmed cases, of which only 898 were hospitalized.
Korean entertainment circles have also sounded the alarm. Most recent production conferences, concerts and other events have been cancelled or postponed, and movie screenings have also been postponed.
As the epidemic spread, people gradually reduced their trips and cancelled gathering activities, coupled with the sudden drop in tourists to South Korea, all major hotels were hit. South Korea's "East Asia Daily" said on the 3rd that from the domestic demand industry centered on the service industry to manufacturing and export, it has been affected by the epidemic.
However, the epidemic has stimulated consumer demand for health products. Korean food companies have launched an "Immunity Enhancement Menu", which includes antibacterial garlic, pumpkins that relieve headaches and fatigue, and shiitake mushrooms that help improve the function of the gastrointestinal tract. On the 2nd, Korean market research company Kantar stated that the performance of the Korean health food market is expected to reach a new high in 2020.
[Expanded screening, strengthened legislation to respond to the epidemic in Korea]
Currently, South Korea has taken measures to expand screening efforts. In Seoul and many other places, a "get-away" detection station has been newly operated since this week, and the public can be tested for viruses without getting off the vehicle.
Wen Zaiyin said on the afternoon of the 2nd local time that the rapid detection method developed by the National Army Medical Research Institute can shorten the detection time of the new crown virus from 6 hours to 20 minutes. If it can be approved for clinical application, it will greatly increase the speed of detection of new crown virus.
On the other hand, South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Finance, Hong Nanji, said that the government will issue free 130 million masks to vulnerable groups and will launch a number of measures to solve the problem of "difficult to buy masks."
In addition, the South Korean government reviewed and approved three amendments to the new crown virus on the 3rd. The government also adopted a promotion plan for the “Special Support Project for Employment in Epidemic Areas”, urging local governments to formulate and implement different employment countermeasures according to the degree of victimization.
South Korea's "East Asia Daily" quoted expert news on the 2nd, saying that the next two weeks will be a golden time to prevent the spread of the new crown pneumonia virus in South Korea. Experts call on people to stay at home and minimize social contact to slow down the spread of the new crown virus and prevent the virus from spreading. (Finish)