Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said the government, together with local administrations, the private sector, military and schools, will go on an all-out effort to counter MERS until the middle of this month when the outbreak is expected to peak.
 
In a press briefing at the government complex in Sejong City Sunday, Choi said all cases of MERS transmissions have so far been through hospital contacts, with no reported transmission in the wider community, but public anxiety is increasing as the number of patients and those quarantined have grown.
 
Choi also disclosed the names of 24 hospitals where MERS patients have contracted the virus or stayed. To improve the efficacy of home quarantines, he said the government will establish a system to appoint community health center and local government officials to personally monitor those quarantined.
 
Choi said MERS is not transmitted through the air, adding that it can be controlled by properly practicing sanitation rules and appropriate quarantine measures.