AUTHORITIES TOUGHEN HEALTH SCREENINGS

[Anchor Lead]

Health authorities will expand the scope of screenings in an effort to uncover coronavirus patients in the early stages. Even if an individual has not been to China and display symptoms that are not fever or respiratory-related, the person can still be tested as determined by the medical staff.

[Pkg]

A selective treatment clinic at a public health center in Seoul. People gather to check if they have contracted the new coronavirus.

[Soundbite] (HEALTH CENTER OFFICIAL) : "You haven't been to China recently? (No, I didn't even come into contact with anyone who's been to China.)"

Currently, diagnosis tests are only limited to cases when a person who visited China's Hubei province exhibits at least one symptom OR when someone has visited China in the past 2 weeks and X-ray results indicate possible pneumonia. This will change. Even those who didn't visit China but show symptoms other than fever or respiratory-related illnesses can still be tested for the virus. The tests can be conducted in accordance with the diagnosis of doctors at selective treatment clinics. The government move to expand the scope of screenings follows criticism that preemptive response is necessary to address a range of early stage symptoms. In fact, a 49 year old Chinese male, who was confirmed as Korea's 12th patient of the virus after making contact with a Japanese patient, felt his very first symptom, muscular pain, on January 20th, 12 days before he was confirmed with the infection.

[Soundbite] GWAK JIN(CENTRAL QUARANTINE HEADQUARTERS) : "The patient felt the first symptom, mainly muscle aches on Jan. 20 without the presence of fever or respiratory conditions."

Eight people, or over half the total confirmed patients in the nation, showed initial symptoms of fatigue and body aches. This indicates that even without symptoms of pneumonia, a person could still be carrying the coronavirus. The government is revising the definition of suspected patients and those who came in contact with confirmed patients, through further analysis of individual cases.