South Korea’s COVID-19 Infection Status: From the Perspective of Reconfirmation after Complete Recovery

South Korea’s COVID-19 Infection Status: From the Perspective of Reconfirmation after Complete Recovery

Hyunjoo Joo, Yunjung Kang

COVID-19 started to occur in South Korea by an inflow of the virus from abroad, when a traveler fromWuhan, China, was first confirmed on January 19th, 2020. Although South Korea reduced the numberof newly confirmed cases and is on the way to stabilizing the situation with its disease preventionpolicies, problems remain. The main issue is the reconfirmation of the virus after recovery. South Koreanexperts believe the reconfirmed cases are caused by reactivation of the virus inside the patients’ body,rather than by virus reinfection after recovery. When considering reconfirmed COVID-19 cases, it isimportant to keep social distancing even after treating the infection. Despite no cases of reconfirmedpatients infecting others having been reported yet, reexamination of patients after recovery is thoughtto be pivotal to prevent reactivation.

2020

reactivation, Complete recovery, social distancing, COVID-19, reconfirmed

DOI: 10.22207/JPAM.14.SPL1.46

Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology

Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology

Microbiology