Another mass infection case reported at sanatorium: KCDC

SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- A total of 36 people at a sanatorium in southeastern North Gyeongsang Province have been infected with the novel coronavirus, the latest in a series of mass infection cases here, health authorities said Thursday.

The country reported 438 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 5,766, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The KCDC said 69.4 percent of the confirmed cases are classified as cluster or mass infection cases, with another 30.6 percent of the cases either labeled as sporadic infections or under investigation.

A total of 36 out of 112 patients and staff at the sanatorium located in Bonghwa, 244 kilometers southeast of Seoul, tested positive for the virus.

Bonwha County said another 41 patients and some 30 medical staff have been quarantined and that the facility is undergoing disinfection work.

Out of the 4,327 confirmed cases in Daegu, the country's fourth-largest city with a population of 2.5 million, 3,013, or 69.6 percent, are linked to the Shincheonji religious sect.

khj@yna.co.kr
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