No new MERS cases reported but Korea cautious
Print Edition
South Korea reported no new cases of MERS or deaths from the virus for the first time in nine days yesterday, but officials warned there was no indication yet that the outbreak had been brought under control.
The number of those infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome remained unchanged for two days in a row at 182, the health ministry said.
The death toll also remained unchanged from 32 on Sunday. It is the first time that the country has reported no additional infections as well as no new deaths since June 20.
Then, officials voiced hope that they were winning the battle against the outbreak — only to see the number of fatalities and infections rise again, sparking public criticism that their optimism was premature.
The number of new patients has generally been in decline since mid-June, when it often jumped by double digits — with many of the new infections stemming from Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, at the epicenter of the outbreak.
But officials remained cautious yesterday as they monitored developments at another Seoul hospital, where a MERS patient potentially came into contact with thousands of people before being diagnosed on June 22 and dying two days later. A total of 2,682 people are under quarantine either in state facilities or at home.
The outbreak began on May 20 when a 68-year-old man was diagnosed after returning from a trip from Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, an Omani man who became Thailand’s first case of MERS has been declared free of the deadly virus, the health ministry said yesterday.
The 75-year-old man, who had traveled to Bangkok for treatment for a heart condition and was then diagnosed with the virus, will remain in quarantine for the time being.
“In the last test results we did not find the MERS virus in the patient,” Surachet Satitramai, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, said.
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