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Coronavirus: South Korea in crisis mode as Daegu cases surge
- Infections have risen six-fold in three days to at least 208, with doomsday cult at centre of ‘super-spreading event’
- New infections include three members of the 600,000-strong military
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South Korea swung into emergency mode as it confirmed 104 more cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, doubling its total number of patients in one day to 208 and making it the most infected country behind China and Japan.
It also reported a second casualty, a 54-year-old woman who died after being moved from Daegu to Busan for treatment, following the death of a man in his 60s on Thursday.
Three of the new cases involve a navy sailor, army officer and air force officer who were the first infections to be reported in South Korea’s 600,000-strong military. They had reportedly visited the southern city of Daegu, which has seen a spike in infections this week.
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More than six in 10 patients in South Korea are linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, a group that mainstream churches describe as a doomsday cult with 200,000 followers in the country.
President Moon Jae-in described the situation as “serious” and authorities indicated they expected more infections to be reported.
Jun Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said a survey of 4,500 church followers – about half of Shincheonji’s congregation in Daegu – revealed more than 500 were experiencing symptoms of Covid-19, which causes a pneumonia-like illness.
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