The COVID-19 virus first broke out in December of 2019, and experts are now predicting that the number of infected patients will soar in mid-February.  Moreover, masks, hand sanitizer, and medicinal alcohol are chronically out of stock, and if you are fortunate enough to find some the prices are prohibitive in many parts of the country.  The question that students and staff alike should ask is how should we deal with the highly infectious COVID-19 when school begins?  I met with Kim Hee-yeon who works in the CBNU Health center to discuss the matter. - Ed.


1. How effective is washing your hands and wearing a mask as preventive measures?

  Wearing a mask and washing hands are sufficient to block the coronal infection which is transferred through droplets. However, you should wear the mask, and wash your hands, in the prescribed way. In some cases, hand washing is thought to be as simple as putting your hands in running water for a few seconds, but according to the handwashing instructions provided by the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention, you should scrub your hands, back of your hands, fingers and under your fingernails. It is obviously better to wash with soap, and you can also use hand sanitizer. When using hand sanitizer, it is effective to use products with an alcohol concentration of 70 percent or higher. People touch their faces about 50 times a day, so make a conscious effort not to touch your face too much, and was your hands of often as possible. Remember that COVID-19 is active for three hours to seven days, so it is important to wash your hands well.

2. What kind of measures will the Health center take if someone is infected at CBNU?

  Anyone on campus, who suspects that they may have the virus, should report to the clinic between the original student center and the cultural center. The first step would be to take their temperature and if they measure above 37.5 degrees we will contact the Health Care Center. The person will be instructed to wait at the clinic until officials arrive. They will be asked questions regarding their country of origin, places they visited, and people they came into contact with. At the Health Care Center, the examination is divided into the upper and lower airway. The upper airway test is done by taking samples from the mucous membrane  in the upper nasal cavity. For the lower airway test a sample of saliva or sputum is taken from the mouth. Also take note that the whole process will be absolutely free so you don’t have to be concerned about any expenses. If it is confirmed that the person has the virus the patient will be placed under self quarantine, and a certificate will be issued allowing them to miss up to 25% of their classes. Please check the CBNU homepage for more detail.

3. There is a rumor that people who recover from the virus still has a possibility of relapse and that they will suffer from serious lung damage. We’d like to know about the possibility of recurrence and any side-effects that might occur.

  To my knowledge there are no cases of relapse where people who were cured contract the virus again but it is difficult to ascertain the possibility of relapse beyond any doubt. The lung damage that we hear about is not caused by COVID-19 but by Pneumonia. I should add that Pneumonia can be brought on by a variety of causes including COVID-19. Pneumonia can be treated very effectively if it is caught at an early stage, and it is not very dangerous to people in their 20’s, therefore students on campus don’t have to worry too much about that. Pneumonia can, however, be fatal in the case of infants and the elderly.

4. There are many opinions about the reuse of masks. We would like to know how to wear and use the masks correctly and what grade of masks are effective.

  There is no need to use professional health masks such as KF80 and KF94.  KF94 masks are recommended for medical professionals who come into contact with infected patients. For daily use or the purpose of prevention, it’s adequate to wear regular masks. However, when wearing masks, you must cover your mouth and chin completely and pinch the metal nose clamp firmly with both fingers. To check if the mask is in the right position, breathe into the mask to check for air leakage.

  The reuse of masks is not recommended, but it is possible. There are just a few rules you need to consider. When removing the mask avoid folding it in half since folding deforms the metal nose clamp. To remove and reuse the mask, you should only touch the straps and avoid touching the mask itself.  Store the mask in an individual bag like an envelope. Be aware that the outer surface of the mask may be contaminated, so be careful not to touch that part or let it touch the inner part of the mask. When putting the mask back on, you should also only touch the straps. Finally, wash your hands after handling a used mask.

5. Do you have any other advice for CBNU students?

  COVID-19 is a virus with a very low death rate. It is true that many people died in Wuhan and Hubei because they failed to respond to it in the early stage. Therefore, there is no need to worry that the virus will affect our daily lives, since he government and schools will do their best to deal with it. It will be enough for CBNU students to be careful when it comes to their health. Also, I don’t want students to discriminate against Chinese or international students. Remember that Korean tourists and students have experienced discrimination since South Korea is now ranking 4th in the number of confirmed cases. To people living in different parts of the world, Koreans are potential infectors. Therefore we should determine to be kind to those visiting our great country.

By Ahn Young-tae
 ytann05@cbnu.ac.kr
By Youn Su-o
 sy40@cbnu.ac.kr