South Korea says patients from relapse coronavirus cases not highly infectious

Patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus after recovering from their first bout of the disease appeared to be far less infectious and transmissible the second time round, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Wednesday.

KCDC has begun investigating a growing number of people testing positive after recovering. Over 180 such cases have been recorded in the country.

"Although their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were positive, they tested negative after being cultivated in isolation, meaning the viruses from relapse cases have very low or no infectious power," KCDC chief Jeong Eun-kyeong said.

The KCDC said it's still examining why some patients test positive again after recovering as the country saw downward trending of more infections. 

South Korea reported only 11 new cases on Tuesday as its daily caseload hovered around 10 for the fifth straight day. The country's total number of infections is 10,694.

(With input from Reuters)