Over 500 students contracted COVID-19 since late May: lawmaker

All News 10:00 October 02, 2020

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea saw over 500 reported cases of COVID-19 among students in the past four months, according to a lawmaker on Friday.

The total number of reported COVID-19 cases among kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school students between May 20 and last Friday stood at 561, Rep. Jung Chan-min of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing data provided by the education ministry.

Students at Seoul's Mukhyeon Elementary School in Jungnang Ward line up to get tested for the coronavirus on July 5, 2020, a day after one of the students at the school tested positive for COVID-19. (Yonhap)

The number of elementary school patients amounted to 220, followed by high school and kindergarten patients, with 181 and 37, respectively.

In terms of region, Seoul had the largest number of student infections, with 195, followed by Gyeonggi Province and the southeastern city of Daegu, with 182 and 22, respectively.

Of the total number of patients, 473 have been treated and discharged from hospitals, while 88 remain in quarantine in hospitals for treatment.

"Student patients under treatment should be offered medical support, and health and education authorities should follow up on the aftereffects of the virus among students while preventing additional infections," said Jung.