Coronavirus Pandemic
ABOUT 4,000 recovered COVID-19 patients from a religious group at the centre of South Korea’s largest outbreak will donate plasma for research, an official said on Tuesday, a day after local officials filed a lawsuit against the church.
In February and March, a massive outbreak among members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus made South Korea the scene of the first large outbreak outside of China.
At least 5,213 of the country’s total 12,484 cases have been linked to the church outbreak, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, KCDC.
Church founder Lee Man-hee had internally advised recovered members to donate their plasma, which is badly needed for coronavirus research, Shincheonji media coordinator Kim Young-eun told Reuters on Tuesday.
Many of recovered church members wanted to donate to express thanks to the government and medical staff, she said.
The city of Daegu – where most of the church infections were centred – filed a civil lawsuit against the church on Monday, seeking 100 billion won ($82.75 million) in damages.
Daegu authorities had previously filed a complaint against the church, accusing it of not submitting a full list of members and facilities, and not cooperating with city health efforts.
– Jun. 27, 2020 @ 18:45 GMT |
Tags: South Korea church hit by COVID-19 says members to give plasma for research
