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South Korea releases last suspected MERS patient

SEOUL — South Korean health authorities today (July 27) lifted the quarantine on the last person suspected of being infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, leaving no one subject to isolation over MERS for the first time in over two months.

A man wearing a mask to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) rides on an escalator in Seoul, South Korea, June 19, 2015. Reuters file photo

A man wearing a mask to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) rides on an escalator in Seoul, South Korea, June 19, 2015. Reuters file photo

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SEOUL — South Korean health authorities today (July 27) lifted the quarantine on the last person suspected of being infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, leaving no one subject to isolation over MERS for the first time in over two months.

“We can now confirm that the possibility of community-transmission of the virus is almost zero,” said Mr Choo Moo-jin, head of the Korean Medical Association, at a meeting with government officials and private health experts today.

With no new case of the disease reported in more than three weeks, the South Korean government is planning to tell its people today that the MERS outbreak has effectively ended.

Based on World Health Organization standards, which call for a four-week waiting period after the last MERS patient fully recovers, the formal declaration of the end of the outbreak in South Korea is expected to be made in late August.

Since the first case of MERS infection in the country was confirmed on May 20, 186 people were found to be infected, 36 of them died, and a total of about 16,000 individuals were subject to quarantine.

The South Korean Health and Welfare Ministry said that as of today, 12 people remain hospitalised for MERS, but only one of them has still tested positive for the coronavirus.

The news comes as a relief for President Park Geun-hye, who has suffered a sharp fall in approval ratings since the government’s bungled initial handling of the outbreak.

Her approval rating recovered slightly to 32 per cent last week from the nadir of 29 per cent at the peak of the outbreak, according to a Gallup poll. But her disapproval rating remained at 60 per cent amid public dissatisfaction over Ms Park’s handling of national affairs, especially in emergency situations.

“The outbreak has had a significant impact on the country both politically and economically,” said Ms Kim Ji-yoon, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “People remain disappointed by the President’s lack of leadership as the government’s initial response has shown that the country remains vulnerable to major disasters.”

Ms Kim added it would be hard for the President to win back public confidence even after the outbreak had been contained, with the economy showing little signs of recovery. The MERS outbreak has dented the country’s economic growth, hurting its service sector including tourism and retail sales. AGENCIES

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