After a drug sales representative at Handok’s branch in Busan tested positive for Covid-19 after a meeting at the headquarters in Seoul, not only the drugmaker and but client doctors are on the alert.

The drug sales rep transmitted the virus to the family and colleagues, raising concern over the viral spread from Seoul to other parts of the country.

According to Busan Metropolitan City, the number of Covid-19 patients in Busan affected by the case in Handok reached six. The total number of Covid-19 infections traced to the Handok’s meeting in the headquarters stood at 12 – six in Busan, three in Daejeon, one in Gwangju, one in Seoul, and one in Sejong.

The local governments and the health authorities said the increased number of confirmed cases in Busan resulted from the viral transmission from the Seoul metropolitan area to Busan.

On Nov. 11, Ahn Byung-seon, head of the Citizen Quarantine Promotion Team at the Busan Metropolitan City, said Handok’s meeting at its headquarters in Seoul was presumed to be the main route of the infections. Still, the authorities needed further investigation to determine how the virus spread.

What concerns the authorities the most is that the Handok-related infections occurred in Busan and other regions.

Among Handok employees who attended the headquarters meeting, five were confirmed with Covid-19. Among them, two are based in Busan, one in Daejeon, and one in Gwangju. The remaining one works at the head office.

After the drug rep’s confirmed Covid-19 infection, Handok shut down its headquarters and its sales outlet in Busan. The company also ordered all workers at the headquarters and Busan branch to work from home.

Now, Handok employees work from home in shifts. Drug sales reps resumed promotion activities.

However, as people who had close contacts with Handok salespersons tested positive for Covid-19, the health authorities said they would enhance monitoring to prevent additional infections.

The confirmed patients’ movement routes included community facilities such as gyms and educational institutions, including kindergartens, the authorities said.

In Busan, a clinic owner doctor said he did not worry about the infection risk at the clinic because no Handok employee visited there.

However, he said he could not let his guard down because drug sales reps often meet doctors at clinics.

“We were having more meetings with drug reps with the recent easing of social distancing. But as the number of confirmed cases with no traceable link is rising, we will reduce contacts with drug salespersons for the time being,” he said.