Published 15:47 IST, February 4th 2020
South Korean woman tests positive for coronavirus after Thailand visit
South Korean woman identified as patient 16 flew to Seoul from Bangkok on January 19th and developed pneumonia-like symptoms a week later.
- World News
- 3 min read
A South Korean woman has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus after travelling to Thailand, as per South Korean officials on Tuesday. The 42-year old woman is reportedly the first foreign tourist who is infected after a visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
Identified as Patient 16, the woman flew to Seoul from Bangkok on the January 19 and developed pneumonia-like symptoms a week later, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) informed the reports in an official statement.
KCDC spokesperson added that the woman was confirmed positive for the Wuhan 2019-nCoV on Tuesday and was under medical supervision. The authorities, however, refused to explicitly rule out the patient’s visit to the province of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak and KCDC Director Jeong Eun-Kyong declined to further comment in context to China, stated reports.
Patient ‘could have’ contracted the Wuhan 2019-nCov in Thailand
The deputy director-general of the Thai Department of Disease Control, Tanarak Plipat told the media that the patient ‘could have’ contracted the Wuhan 2019-nCov in Thailand. However, it was not ascertained. He further added that it was possible that the coronavirus was spreading across Thailand domestically amid the global spread crisis.
The South Korean case is speculated as the first human-to-human transmission of Coronavirus where the said patient did not travel to China and yet contracted the disease in a foreign country. As of Tuesday, South Korea has imposed restrictions on the entry of south Koreans re-entering its territory after a visit to Hubei province, the focal point of the disease, suggest reports.
Thailand has confirmed highest figures of Wuhan’s 2019-nCoV cases
The entry ban applies to the non-Korean Nationals that stayed over the past 14 days in the People’s Republic of China as a border control measure to avert the outbreak in the country.
Thailand has reportedly confirmed the highest figures of Wuhan’s 2019-nCoV cases outside mainland China that has recently climbed to 19, suggest reports. Director-general Plipat told the reports that Thailand was in the stage of disease transmission as many Koreans were travelling to foreign tourist locations and were most likely in areas of disease contagion.
Updated 15:47 IST, February 4th 2020
