stonecrandall Chapter 585 - 265: Military District Infected
Chapter 585 - 265: Military District Infected
"Wushan Base?"
Gu Ji raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling that Jiang Youzhen seemed to have mentioned to him earlier that among the infection data from June 2, there was an infected patient from the Osan Air Base, the first MERS case in the South Korean military.
Could it be Jin Canyu?
"Where is he now?"
"Of, of course, he’s at Wushan Base."
Faced with Gu Ji’s questioning, Li Minfu’s words were a bit stammered, not knowing whether it was out of nervousness or if he was hiding something. "Jin Canyu at first felt unwell at the base, then came to our hospital for a check-up. After being diagnosed with MERS, he was taken away on the same day and transferred to a military medical institution."
"He stayed less than a day at Shansang Hospital and infected five patients?"
Gu Ji was slightly shocked, "This kind of highly contagious super spreader, how could you let him go so easily? What if he returns and causes an internal infection in the military district?"
"W-well... there’s nothing we could do. He’s military personnel and doesn’t fall under our jurisdiction."
Li Minfu waved his hand, starting to shift the blame.
Gu Ji, realizing he couldn’t rely on Shansang, took a photo of Jin Canyu’s file and personally tracked down several individuals for questioning based on the information of the secondary infected patients.
Among the five people, three were medical staff who accidentally contracted MERS during the diagnosis process, while the other two were passersby who had close contact with Jin Canyu during his treatment, their transmission capability only second to that of the "most powerful South Korean spreader."
Coincidentally, Jin Zhijiu also carried the case of the Wushan Base Laboratory explosion.
This was an opportunity to investigate both.
Thus, after quickly confirming the identities of the two super spreaders in the hospital, he had Jang Siyun notify the Disease Management Headquarters to transfer the patients to special negative pressure rooms for focused isolation.
The first-generation infected, the gray-haired gentleman, was already in the late stages of severe illness, entirely dependent on a ventilator. After an evaluation by experts deemed the risk of transfer too high, the family also objected.
Ultimately, the CDC decided to assign three healthcare workers dedicated to his critical care unit.
Busy like this all afternoon.
Finally, the progress on Gu Ji’s side task in the bottom left corner refreshed to "2/5."
Unfortunately, infectious disease data monitoring showed in real time that MERS infections and confirmed deaths had increased by 16 and 1, respectively, with nearly two thousand schools closed, and public resistance approaching 40%, on the verge of sparking a protest movement.
To prevent further chaos in Seoul.
In the evening, he called Li Xianzhen, the Cheongwadae chief secretary, hoping Cheongwadae would announce that there would not be a lockdown in Seoul and allocate food and necessities from other regions to ensure normal life for the residents of Seoul.
"We’ve already started to address the suggestions you mentioned."
"That’s great." Gu Ji shifted the topic to report his afternoon efforts in searching for the "super spreader." "According to Shansang’s duty director, Jin Canyu was forcibly taken by people from the military district. Do I need to notify Wushan Base before I investigate him?"
"Wushan Base..."
Li Xianzhen hesitated in her words, indicating that even for someone like her, this matter was somewhat troublesome. "Let’s do this, I’ll handle the negotiations on the joint military district issues. You temporarily investigate the other super spreaders, and I’ll inform you when I have news."
"Alright."
The call ended.
Gu Ji picked up Jin Canyu’s diagnosis information again.
It stated that he’d been treated multiple times at Shansang for a fracture, during which he had close contact with the first MERS patient. Shortly after returning to the base, he developed symptoms such as fever, chills, and muscle aches.
But Gu Ji felt something was off.
Since the military required him to transfer to the military medical facility for isolation, why did Jin Canyu choose to go to Shansang for a diagnosis instead of the military hospital?
Thinking it over all day, Gu Ji couldn’t figure it out.
He decided to wait for news from Li Xianzhen.
In the meantime.
He continued running to the 23 hospitals listed by the Disease Management Headquarters as having confirmed patients.
Because aside from the two he reported and Jin Canyu, the remaining "super spreaders" had yet to emerge.
Fortunately, the plan Gu Ji previously proposed was effective.
With the South Korea Central MERS Countermeasures Headquarters established and government control over key areas such as airports and ports, though there was a significant impact on the city’s economy and tourism, the number of new patients began to gradually decrease in recent days.
As of June 24, out of 179 confirmed patients, 67 had recovered and been discharged.
But MERS-related deaths had accumulated to 27.
There were 9 left to failing the ultimate goal.
"Six new cases in a single day on the 24th, four of whom were infected in Pingze Mary Hospital? Temporarily seal the ward, prohibit entry and exit; I’ll head over immediately."
Just after Gu Ji noticed abnormality in the infectious monitoring information in the upper part of his vision, he received a call from the investigation team. Quickly grabbing his briefcase, he said, "Jang Siyun, come to Pingze with me."
"Yes, senior!"
The two drove swiftly to Mary Hospital.
As the primary source of the MERS incident in South Korea, Pingze Mary Hospital had serious management oversights that only changed after being investigated.
Upon arriving at the hospital and based on infection patient information, Gu Ji quickly pinpointed the fourth super spreader and arranged for the CDC transfer.
Now, only "Jin Canyu" was left.
But over a week had gone by without any progress in the investigation, because Jin Canyu was a Senior Sergeant First Class in the Air Force, holding a high non-commissioned officer rank and considered the most senior officer at Wushan Base. Additionally, as Wushan Base is a US-Korea joint military base involving numerous secrets, Li Xianzhen has yet to successfully negotiate.