SKorea needs week to judge nightclub virus links

South Korea's top anti-disease official says it's too early to have an optimistic view that recent coronavirus outbreaks linked to nightlife spots in Seoul could be suppressed.

Jung Eun-kyeong, director of South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made the comments hours after her agency reported 13 additional cases the second straight day that the country's daily jump was below 20.

Jung says the recent outbreaks haven't so far showed explosive surges in infections. But she says the incubation periods for those who recently visited night clubs in Seoul's Itaewon entertainment haven't ended and a large number of people who came in contact with those clubgoers were still under quarantine.

She says authorities need about a week to assess a prospect for the outbreaks.

Jung says 168 new patients have so far been found linked to Itaewon clubs. Of those, 89 visited the establishments and 79 came in contact with them.

She says five of the 13 new cases reported Sunday were associated with Itaewon clubs.