As Korea added confirmed cases of the new coronavirus among people entering from other countries than China, such as Thailand and Singapore, the government asked the medical community for a more careful examination for suspected patients.

Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-lip made the request at a regular briefing to contain the spread of the virus on Wednesday.

Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-lip(center)

“We have cases that the infection could have occurred during an overseas trip outside of China. So, if a patient has an overseas travel record among people with symptoms similar to those of the new coronavirus, clinicians could consider other risk factors with a broader angle,” Kim said.

If doctors need a particular type of information regarding the examination of patients with suspected symptoms of the virus, the government will review what kind of data it should provide and in which way, as well as take necessary measures, he added.

The government said the Gwangju 21st Century Clinic, where the 16th confirmed patient had visited to care for her daughter, was not in cohort isolation. Cohort isolation refers to the shutdown of an entire medical institution to prevent the spread of an infectious disease.

However, the government noted that it moved patients who were on the third floor of the clinic, where the 16th patient stayed, to another floor and isolated them. Other inpatients at the clinic either sought self-isolation at home or planned to move to the Gwangju Fire Academy’s single rooms for quarantine.

Among the Gwangju 21st Century Clinic staff, those at high risk stayed at home, and the rest were on observation, the government added.

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