South Korea Now Has Over 1.5K COVID-19 Cases, Including a US Soldier Stationed There

Things are getting worse in South Korea.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) confirmed 334 additional cases of the new coronavirus on Thursday (27 Feb), raising the total tally to 1,595.

This is crazy considering the East Asian nation only had 31 confirmed cases on 18 Feb. This means that there’s been an increase of over 1,500 in just 9 days.

According to CNA, the figure is the largest reported additional cases in the country since its first case was confirmed on 20 Jan.

Many linked to Daegu church

If you read our articles regularly, you’d know about Crazy Ajumma and a church in Daegu that is at the centre of the outbreak.

One 61-year-old woman refused twice to test for the coronavirus and even attended church services at least four times even though she had symptoms associated with the virus.

She later tested positive for the disease, but it was too late by then.

The number of cases in Daegu skyrocketed and the authorities started labelling her as a “super spreader.

Netizens called her Crazy Ajumma (auntie in Korean), and you can see why.

Now, 307 of the 1,595 cases are in the southeastern city of Daegu, where the church is located.

No new deaths have occurred, however, with the toll remaining at 12.

US soldier Infected

The US military also reported its first case on Wednesday (26 Feb), after a 23-year-old soldier based in Camp Carroll, about 20km from Daegu, tested positive for the disease.

Camp Caroll is also near a disability centre that has had its own outbreak of the virus.

As CNA reports, the streets of Daegu, which has a population of 2.5 million, have been largely deserted for days, aside from long queues at the few shops with masks for sale.

The authorities have urged the public to exercise extra caution, advising citizens to stay home if they have a fever or any respiratory symptoms.

And a few days ago, South Korea President Moon Jae-in raised the alert level to the highest.

So, while we’re panicking here in Singapore where things seem to be getting better, things are getting worse and worse in South Korea.

Let’s hope the dire situation improves so we can finally say goodbye to this deadly disease.