Last week we noted an in-depth report by Bloomberg on how a 61-year-old Korean 'typhoid Mary' spread coronavirus throughout her doomsday religious cult after praying with at least a thousand other adherents.

"What made this case so much worse was that this person spent a considerable amount of time in a very crowded area," said Seoul National University professor of health policy, Kim Chang-yup. "There’s growing fear and resentment among the people right now."

As a result, over 1,900 members of the Shincheonji Church have been screened for coronavirus, of which 1,551 - or 81%, tested positive according to the BBC's Laura Bicker.

Put another way:



Out of a population of 1,900

1,300 were symptomatic

600 asymptomatic



420 tested positive but asymptomatic

1,131 tested positive and symptomatic



= 1,551 infections out of 1,900 = 81% — Jay Reynolds (@jaycreynolds) February 29, 2020

Of note, because the church's leader (who believes he's an immortal prophet sent by Jesus Christ) preaches about the end-of-days, followers have been accused of purposefully spreading the disease - however those reports are unconfirmed and there is no evidence to suggest this is occurring.

What is known is that the church held religious gatherings in the Chinese city of Wuhan - the epicenter of the current outbreak.

In short, expect similar results - assuming reports of purposeful infection are false - at similar places of worship around the world.