South Korea: Undiagnosed virus cases could be 27 times higher in Daegu, says study

According to a study by the Journal of Korean Medical Science, unaffected people who are living in the same city with a maximum number of cases, have also been affected. Reportedly, one out of nine people has had antibodies to COVID-19. This indicates that the virus may have spread at a faster pace. The study suggests that 185,290 people have contracted the novel coronavirus in the city of Daegu, South Korea which has a population of about 2.5 million.

Situation in South Korea 

According to a study published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science on July 16, the city recorded 6,886 cases of coronavirus as of June 6. The study said, the estimations were that the number of undiagnosed cases would be 27 times higher than the number of confirmed cases, which were based on PCR testing. Another study done between May 25 and June 5 followed 198 people who had not been tested for coronavirus but 15 of them had antibodies. 

Read: South Korea's New Virus Cases Bounce Back After Drop

The city is fighting with small clusters in different parts as 63 new cases were reported on July 21. Initially South Korea was doing well in battling the novel coronavirus. However, in March there was a severe outbreak in the city of Daegu. The city has reported 13,879 cases and 297 deaths. 

Read: South Korea Says Virus Outbreak Is Slowing

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that at least 36 new cases came from Seoul, which is densely populated. About half of the country’s population live here. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government plans to send two military planes to Iraq in order to evacuate 300 South Korean construction workers. The country also reported four cases of local transmission on July 20, which has been the lowest in two months. President Moon Jae, made a celebratory tweet on this, saying that the nation is winning its fight against COVID-19.

Read: COVID-19: Rajnath Singh Dials His South Korean Counterpart; Discusses Mutual Cooperation

Also Read: South Korean City Reimposes Tighter Social Distancing Rules Amid Fears Of Second Wave

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