Wasted effort. After having experienced the attempts at containment and the phases of resurgence of the new coronavirus, South Korea, one of the first countries affected by Covid-19, finally thought that it had stopped it for good. With its drastic tracing and isolation devices, its massive tests, its barrier measures and the wearing of a non-negotiable mask, it even appeared as a model in its management of the epidemic.
For a week, the contaminations becoming episodic and the number of deaths linked to the virus not having exceeded 250, the country had even started to loosen its restrictive measures by opening access to offices, museums and libraries. And there appeared on Saturday a new source of contamination in a gay district of Seoul.
In all, this Tuesday, a hundred new cases had already been identified, all related to the district of Itaewon. And the capital, which was barely waking up, decided to close the bars and nightclubs and postpone the reopening of the high schools.
The risk of an epidemic outbreak is real: the new “zero patient”, a 29-year-old man declared positive for Covid-19, found himself in potential contact with… thousands of people. This asymptomatic South Korean has visited five clubs and bars in the Itaewon district, where thousands of revelers have gravitated.
A fine of 1500 euros or a forced coming out
This scenario makes authorities fear that many cases go under their radars. Homosexuality remains taboo for a large segment of the Korean population and contact cases may not come forward for diagnosis, for fear of being unwanted coming out . Even if the authorities have guaranteed their anonymity.
This Tuesday, in order to find them and encourage them to be tested, the city of Seoul announced that it would use the geolocation data of their mobile phones. Authorities, who have already listed nearly 11,000 names, pose a threat: they will not hesitate to deploy police to find the 2,000 revelers who give no sign of life and make the recalcitrant face a fine of 1500 euros. To date, 7000 contact cases have been diagnosed and, of the hundred positive cases reported, most are men, aged 20 to 30 years.
This is not the first time since February that Seoul has released major means to try to contain a source of contamination. By the end of February, Korea, which had declared its first case on January 20, had even become the second most affected country, after China, with the discovery of a "cluster" linked to an evangelical sect. The majority of the 10,000 cases recorded throughout the territory are linked to this church which bears the name of Shincheonji and is installed in the city of Daegu, in the south-east.
80% of 10,000 contaminations linked to clusters
Its members are accused of having concealed the suspicious cases, then of having tried to evade the authorities, so as not to carry out tests. Some have also traveled abroad, notably to Israel, thus spreading the virus elsewhere in the world.
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The first infections are believed to be linked to a 60-year-old follower who, despite the appearance of convincing symptoms, refused to be diagnosed and participated in four offices, without protection. Contributing then largely to the contaminations. As of March 18, members of the sect represented 60% of all South Korean patients.
Since the appearance of the first cases, the country, which identified at the height of the epidemic in late February up to 900 infections per day, has embarked on a drastic campaign of detection and tracing of its citizens. Measures that did not prevent the appearance of other clusters in the following weeks, especially at the end of March, in a retirement home also located in Daegu. The Yonhap news agency reported on April 30 that 80% of the country's 10,000 contaminations were linked to clusters.
Retirement homes, hospitals and travelers
At least four residences for the elderly have become centers of contamination in the country, as have four hospitals, including the Cheongdo Daenam hospital, which alone hosted more than a hundred cases. Two are particularly surprising: these psychiatric patients had not left the site for a month.
The threat also came from abroad: in all, more than 1,000 travelers arriving on the territory were declared positive for Covid-19, so another ten in early May, reports the Korea Herald.
South Korea is also the only country to date to note cases of recontamination in patients who were no longer considered sick, ensures the local newspaper Donga. These observations are, to date, the subject of more detailed studies because, if they are proven, they could call into question the theory of immunity to the virus, on which many hopes now hold.
The new cluster that emerged in Seoul, despite a salvo of particularly respected and restrictive health measures, also makes the country, like all those who are gradually deconfining, fear the emergence of a second wave of contamination. It also reminds us that these outbreaks, as France is currently experiencing on a smaller scale, remain inevitable. The challenge is to contain them as quickly as possible.