EARLY EDITION 18:00 MERS outbreak: Korea reports 9 deaths, 108 cases

• ARIRANG NEWS 18:00 • Title: MERS outbreak: Korea reports 9 deaths, 108 cases Health authorities are expecting the MERS outbreak to reverse course soon, but the number of new cases rose again today. Thirteen more cases and two more deaths were confirmed this morning. For more, we connect to our Connie Kim at the news center. Connie, give us the details on the figures. Daniel, there are 108 confirmed MERS cases, and the death toll now stands at nine with the fatality rate at slightly over 8-percent. The two who passed away were secondary infections in patients who were hospitalized for severe illnesses including liver cancer. What′s attracting attention today is the thirteen newly confirmed MERS cases,... ten of which are patients from Samsung Medical Center in Southern Seoul. This is the hospital with nearly half of the toal MERS cases... at 47. Now, about the pregnant woman who tested positive for the virus yesterday at a hospital in Seoul: She is now undergoing a re-test,... after testing negative in what was supposed to a final round of testing. Health officials say 11 MERS patients are in critical condition, while more than 34-hundred people have been put under quarantine. Meanwhile, more schools closed nationwide today,... bringing the total to more than 24-hundred preschools and elementary schools. However, health officials say there is no need to be overly afraid. That view was echoed by a team of WHO experts that is currently in Korea to assess the MERS situation. They say the schools should consider re-opening, as all MERS cases came from hospitals affected by the disease. The good news… is that one MERS patient has been released from Pyeongtaek St. Mary′s Hospital in Gyeonggi-do province. The virus now seems to be contained there, with zero additional infections since Monday. The government has vowed to do all it can to prevent the spread of the virus. As part of this effort, the acting prime minister has made new announcements this morning. Walk us through it. I′ll break it down into four points. First, Korea has designated four more hospitals as MERS treatment centers for people showing symptoms of the disease. There is one each in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do province, Daejeon and Chungcheongnam-do province. All of these are places with confirmed MERS cases. That brings the number of hospitals authorized to treat MERS patients to 16. Second, Choi recommended that people refrain from visiting hospitalized friends or relatives to prevent secondary and tertiary infections. However, he said people who are sick should visit their local hospital, instead of going to a hospital that has been affected by the virus. Third, Choi made it clear that MERS cannot be transmitted through the air, emphasizing that people should carry on with their daily lives without being afraid. And finally, he promised to provide financial support to local governments working to contain the virus. The spread of the virus in Korea is st