▲ Officials guiding overseas visitors at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1


The epidemic of the Corona 19 mutant virus, which is rapidly spreading in the UK, was first discovered in Korea, putting an emergency on quarantine authorities.



This mutant virus is known to be 1.7 times more capable of spreading than the virus currently prevalent in Korea, and the government's response to quarantine is inevitably more difficult.



In particular, the government stopped operating flights departing from London Heathrow Airport and arriving at Incheon International Airport from the 23rd to prevent the influx of mutant virus into the country. Concerns have also been raised over the possibility of transmission.



Some experts on infectious diseases pointed out that the government has been slow to respond to the situation where the mutant virus first appeared in September and has increased rapidly since November.



According to today's (28th) Central Defense Countermeasures Headquarters (Bang Daebon), mutant viruses were detected in all three samples of a family member who entered the UK on the 22nd.



They lived in London, England, and entered the country, and at the time of entry, they were confirmed as confirmed during the airport quarantine process and lived in quarantine, so there was no contact with the community.



Bang Dae-bon predicts that there is little possibility of spreading the mutant virus from these families in Korea.



However, it cannot be ruled out that radio waves may have occurred in the cabin of the return flight.



Apart from this family, four other family members who entered the country from the UK on the 8th and 13th of this month were also diagnosed with Corona 19, and are currently undergoing a detailed examination for infection with the mutant virus.



This mutant virus was first discovered in the UK in September and has spread around the world.



In Europe, cases of infection have occurred in France, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Portugal and Norway.



In the Middle East, it was found in Lebanon and Jordan, and in Asia, it was also found in Korea after Japan and Singapore.



In the Americas, there are currently cases of mutant virus infections in Canada.



Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious medicine at Kodae Guro Hospital, said in a previous YouTube broadcast, "The mutant virus was in epidemic at a very low level (in the UK) until mid-November, but the outbreak did not decrease even afterwards, so the UK health authorities began an investigation. I reported to the Health Organization (WHO)."



"There's been a known 70% increase in infectivity, but there's no evidence that it causes serious illness or increased mortality, and there's no evidence that the vaccine doesn't protect against it," he added.



The government has decided to promote additional diagnostic tests before quarantine on all inbound travelers, including the UK and South Africa (South Africa), where the mutant virus is spreading.



Tae-ho Yoon, head of quarantine at the Central Accident Recovery Headquarters (heavy water version), said at the Corona 19 back briefing today (28th), "In addition to countries where the corona 19 virus rarely occurs, most countries were tested before quarantine and spread to local communities. "We are taking additional steps to make it possible."



The government previously announced measures to strengthen management, such as reinforcing fever checks at the time of entry, and additional inspections before quarantine for those entering the country from the UK and South Africa.



In particular, it was decided to conduct a genetic analysis for confirmed cases from these countries to determine whether they were infected with the mutant virus.



(Photo = Yonhap News)