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‘I was stupidly overconfident’: a South Korean coronavirus survivor’s tale
- Seventh in a series exploring the different experiences of Covid-19 survivors from around the world
- University professor Park Hyun took pains to ensure his health, but thought the outbreak was ‘not his problem’
Reading Time:3 minutes
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Park Hyun, a 48-year-old university professor, took pains to ensure his health. He went to the gym five days a week and maintained his personal hygiene, washing his hands all the time and “overusing” hand sanitiser – but that didn’t stop him from being infected with the coronavirus.
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Park, who has since recovered, turned to Facebook to share his experience “to help my friends and loved ones to ward off the highly contagious virus”.
South Korea has reported more than 8,000 cases of the virus, along with 72 deaths.
“We must be cautious! But no panic and no fear,” Park wrote in a Facebook post on March 8. “I was naive and stupid to think that [the outbreak] is not my problem. Yes, as usual, I was stupidly overconfident.”
I was naive and stupid to think that [the outbreak] is not my problem
Busan City, where he lives, reported its first confirmed case of the coronavirus on February 21. The same day, Park said he felt a “very mild sore throat and very mild dry coughing”.
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