A case suspected of pneumonia confirmed unrelated to coronavirus

A 30-year-old South Korean female who showed the symptoms of pneumonia after visiting Wuhan, Hubei Province in China has been confirmed unrelated to a new strain of the coronavirus. The new strain is what the Chinese health authorities blamed for the mass pneumonia outbreak on Thursday.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Sunday that a pan-coronavirus test conducted on the Chinese female patient who visited Wuhan from December 13 to 17 in 2019 came out negative.

The pan-coronavirus test shows infection with all types of coronavirus viruses. The patient recovered and was discharged on Saturday. “What caused the illness remains unknown, but at least it has been confirmed that it was not because of coronavirus,” said a KCDC official.

The South Korean state agency requested the Chinese health authorities to share gene information about the new coronavirus. However, China is yet to release relevant information. Meanwhile, the hygiene and health commission of Wuhan announced that a 61-year-old male infected with the new coronavirus died on Thursday. The KCDC will maintain the current level of quarantine as the human-to-human infection has not been confirmed given that there has been no additional case reported since January 3.


Joo-Young Jeon aimhigh@donga.com