SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says at least 74 people who had been diagnosed as recovered from the new coronavirus tested positive for the second time after they were released from hospitals.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Thursday said health authorities were testing virus and serum samples to determine whether patients who tested positive again would be capable of transmitting the virus to others and whether their bodies had properly created antibodies.
She said some of the patients did not show any symptoms before their follow-up tests turned positive, while others were tested again because they were exhibiting respiratory symptoms. She said none of these patients so far have seen their illness worsen to serious conditions.
South Korean officials have been cautious about discussing the possibility that people could get re-infected with the virus after making a full recovery.
Lee Hyuk-min, a professor from Seoul's Yonsei University College of Medicine, said it's more likely that infections were reactivated after initially fading in patients whose bodies hadn't fully developed immunity.
"Some people who had recovered from mild cases may not fully develop immunity, and in such cases of course, (infections) could reactivate after a certain period of time," Lee said. "The other possibility is people being exposed to environments that affect their immune systems following their release from hospitals, which could also result in reactivation."
In other news from South Korea, the nation’s top central banker said he expects slow but positive economic growth for the trade-dependent country this year despite worldwide shocks wrought by the coronavirus.
Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol's assessment Thursday came after the bank held its policy rate at 0.75% despite calls for lower borrowing costs. The bank's monetary policymakers said they need to wait for the effect of financial tools that had already been employed to spur the economy.
Lee said his forecast for economic growth was based on expectations that the global pandemic will start to slow in the second quarter and stabilize in the latter half of the year.
"We forecast the South Korean economy to manage positive growth this year, but it would be difficult for the rate of growth to reach 1%," Lee said. "Ultimately, (economic) flows and aspects will depend on how the Covid-19 situation develops."
The Bank of Korea lowered its annual growth forecast for the economy from 2.3% to 2.1% in February.
The bank in March executed an emergency rate cut of 0.5% to bring its policy rate to an all-time low of 0.75%. It also expanded short-term borrowings for banks and other financial institutions through repurchase agreements to calm markets rattled by the coronavirus crisis.
Some experts say it's unclear whether traditional financial tools to boost money supplies would be effective now, when the global pandemic has damaged both supply and demand, decimating industrial hubs in China and Italy and forcing millions to stay at home under tightened quarantines.
Iran May Bar Mass Prayers During Ramadan
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's supreme leader is suggesting that mass gatherings in the Islamic Republic may be barred through the holy Muslim fasting month Ramadan due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the comment Thursday as Iran is trying to restart its economic activity after suffering one of the world's worst outbreaks. Ramadan is to begin in late April and last through most of May.
Khamenei urged Shiite faithful to pray in their homes during Ramadan. Shiite typically pray communally, especially during Ramadan.
Iran has reported more than 67,000 cases of the new virus, with nearly 4,000 deaths. However, experts have repeatedly questioned those numbers, as Iran initially downplayed the outbreak in February amid the 41st anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution and a crucial parliamentary vote.