Virus patient takes precautions, prevents spread

South Korea’s 17th confirmed case of the new coronavirus is being highlighted as a successful example of containment efforts after all of his close contacts tested negative.

The Korean man, 37, came down with a fever on Jan. 26, two days after arriving here from Singapore. When he visited a hospital in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, he was initially sent to the emergency room as he had not recently been in China. 

An emergency physician isolated the man in a negative-pressure room, however, following confirmation he had come into contact with Chinese visitors during his stay in Singapore.

Before his symptoms became obvious, the patient had visited his family in Daegu from Jan. 24-25, coming in close contact with at least 14 people, including family members, a cab driver and gas station workers, all of whom tested negative.

The patient told authorities he had worn a face mask during the two days as a precaution.

The patients of the second and seventh cases -- both of whom were from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the outbreak’s epicenter -- also avoided secondary transmission by deciding to voluntarily self-quarantine and minimizing outside contact.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)