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All around the world, people are facing the deadly consequences of COVID-19. South Korea has been one of the most successful countries when it comes to containing the spread of COVID-19. The first case was reported on January 20th, 2020. By February, South Korea had up to 243 cases. However, when May came around, they were able to contain the spread of the virus and life began to go back to normal. So how was South Korea able to contain COVID-19 so triumphantly?

The Origin

Health authorities around the world are still not sure as to the origin of the virus, however, it is certain first reports came from Wuhan. A woman began to develop coughing at a local market, which she believed to be a common cold. She was given an injection but still didn’t feel any better. She later visited the hospital and realized there are many others who have been infected with the same virus. The World Health Organization learned about the virus in December of 2019. China was not able to quarantine those who have already been infected and some of them made their way to South Korea.

Cases in South Korea

The first reported case in South Korea was from a Chinese woman. Later in the month, the sixth patient was infected by coming close in contact with someone who has the virus. In February, the number of cases grew exponentially. One noteworthy case comes from a churchgoer, who developed symptoms but was told she had to still go to that church despite feeling unwell. The church had a strict rule about members missing service and they encouraged members to not be afraid of being sick. There were around 5000 cases reportedly originated from that church. At this point, South Korea had as many COVID-19 cases as China.

In the next video, we will look at how South Korea was able to successfully contain the spread of COVID-19.