The number of hospitalized Middle East respiratory syndrome patients has declined, with the tally decreasing to 118 on Thursday from 124 the day before, the Health Ministry said, raising cautious hope that the worst may be over.

With the number decreasing, Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the World Health Organization, assured on the same day that the outbreak of MERS in South Korea can be stopped, though “it may take longer than anyone would want.”

She also confirmed that the WHO found “no epidemiological evidence of unique features” that suggest new forms of transmission in Korea, and the risk to the general public is considered low even if community transmission takes place.

Chan again confirmed that no genetic changes had been found in the virus that spread in Korea, from the ones that initially broke out in the Middle East.

“The (Korean) government has admitted a slow start in the early stage of the outbreak. ... Early contact tracing was not sufficiently intense. The names of (affected) hospitals were initially not made public,” she told reporters during a press conference in Seoul.

“Our current assessment is this. The government is now on a very firm footing. The response of health authorities has been exemplary. The response has been strengthened, quickly, systematically and significantly. Few other countries in the world can do this.”

However, more than 100 patients may have been exposed to MERS while receiving kidney dialysis -- a blood treatment for patients with kidney failure -- at a Seoul-based hospital from June 9-18, the Korean government said prior to Chan‘s meeting with the press on Thursday.

Those with a chronic kidney disease are known to be the most vulnerable to the virus, which often triggers organ failure especially of the kidneys and lungs.

As of Thursday afternoon, the virus had killed 23 people, infected 165 and pushed public health officials to quarantine 6,729 others.

Almost a month after the first MERS case in Korea was confirmed on May 20, fears continue to spread with continuous reports of confirmed patients and deaths. The outbreak has also dramatically affected the everyday lives of Koreans, who have started to avoid crowded and public spaces including movie theaters and public transportation.

According to the Health Ministry, the 165th confirmed patient had been receiving dialysis treatments regularly while showing MERS-like symptoms at Kyung Hee University Hospital in Gangdong district, southern Seoul, from June 9-18. The 79-year-old, who was officially diagnosed with MERS on Thursday, is believed to have been exposed to the virus on June 5, while staying in the same hospital with the nation’s 76th confirmed patient.

“We are not exactly sure where the 165th patient contacted the 76th patient in the hospital,” said Jeong Eun-kyung from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Health Ministry. “We are currently studying CCTV footage to find that out.”

Another 110 patients with kidney conditions received dialysis treatments in the same room where the 165th patient received the regular therapy at the particular time period. “These are patients who are required to receive dialysis treatments regularly,” said Jeong from the CDC. “We are considering ways to isolate them while ensuring they have the access to necessary medical treatments.”

Korea’s MERS fatality rate reached nearly 14 percent as of Thursday, the highest since the nation’s index case was confirmed last month. Heartbreaking stories have been reported as isolated family members could not stand by their spouse or parent’s deathbeds to say goodbye.

Among the three deceased patients confirmed Thursday is the nation’s 82nd patient, who had lost her husband to MERS on June 3. The 83-year-old reportedly was infected by the 16th patient at Konyang University Hospital in Daejeon while nursing her husband, the 36th MERS patient who had been initially hospitalized at the same facility for chronic pneumonia and was later diagnosed with the deadly virus. It is the first case in Korea of a married couple both dying of the disease.

On Tuesday, a 65-year-old MERS patient, who had been suffering from cerebral infarction prior to her MERS diagnosis, died in the intensive care unit at Eulji University Hospital in Daejeon, without being able to see her family members for the last time. As the medical facility banned visitors from entering the property to prevent possible infection, her family instead wrote letters to her to share their last words. The letters were read to her by the nursing staff five hours before her death.

The Health Ministry also reported on Thursday that a newly confirmed MERS patient was found to have visited the country’s southernmost Jejudo Island prior to his diagnosis.

Jejudo Island officials said they were notified by the central countermeasures headquarters Wednesday that the patient had toured around the island with eight companions including his wife, son and other family friends before returning to Seoul on June 8.

The man returned work on June 9, but after he started showing symptoms of fever and coughing, he did not return to work the next couple days. He was first tested for MERS on June 12 and was later confirmed infected.

The patient had reportedly accompanied his father for a regular checkup at Samsung Medical Center on May 27.

The health authorities are monitoring those who came in close contact with the patient, but none have reported any symptoms so far.

The outbreak has triggered many Koreans to avoid public spaces, as fears grow over community-transmitted infection. According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the number of amusement park visitors in the first week of June decreased by 60 percent compared to the same period last year, while the number of moviegoers dropped by 54.9 percent.

The number of Seoul residents using public transportation has decreased by 21.9 percent in the last two weeks. Meanwhile, sales of the online shopping mall of E-mart -- the largest retailer in Korea -- from June 1-11 increased by 63.1 percent from the same period last year.

On Wednesday, the WHO had announced that it did not recommend the application of any travel or trade restrictions to South Korea. It pointed out the Korean practice of seeking care at multiple hospitals, known as “doctor shopping,” as well as a lack of awareness among health care workers and general public about MERS as main factors contributing to the spread of the disease in the country.

Dr. Chan of the WHO stressed that the public cooperation is critical in handling of the outbreak, and those who are quarantined should never leave his or her house against the guidelines.

“When individuals do not follow the advisement and guidelines of the government, it is unfair to blame the government,” she said.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)