Gwangju City Urges High-Risk Groups to Strictly Follow Special COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 25th urged the high-risk groups for COVID-19 to strictly follow special quarantine guidelines in the With-Corona era.

High-risk groups for COVID-19 are more vulnerable to infections due to weakened immunity compared to the general public. In particular, chronic patients and cancer patients have weakened immune systems due to long-term treatment, requiring extra caution.

The high-risk groups for COVID-19 include ▲ those aged 65 and older ▲ chronic underlying disease groups such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, chronic lung disease, chronic cardiovascular disease, blood cancer, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, patients taking immunosuppressants, HIV patients ▲ special condition groups such as severe obesity, pregnant women, dialysis patients, transplant patients, smokers, and hospitalized patients requiring initial oxygen therapy with oxygen saturation below 90.

According to data from the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Cancer Registry, from 1999 to 2017, a total of 242,780 people (130,281 men, 112,499 women) were diagnosed with cancer in the Gwangju-Jeonnam area.

Among them, as of January 1, 2018, 131,80 cancer survivors (49,474 in Gwangju, 80,706 in Jeonnam) were alive, and based on this, the estimated number of cancer survivors in Gwangju-Jeonnam as of January 1 this year is 144,989 (55,575 in Gwangju, 89,415 in Jeonnam).

Also, according to last year's Gwangju City Community Health Survey, the diagnosed rate of diabetes was 8%, and the diagnosed rate of hypertension was 17.7%.

The best preventive measures against COVID-19 for chronic patients and cancer patients are to avoid crowded places and to practice proper mask-wearing and frequent handwashing.

Patients must take their prescribed medications for underlying diseases, and if they experience respiratory symptoms such as cough, sputum, or fever different from usual, they should consult a doctor. To strengthen weakened immunity, they must strictly follow the special quarantine guidelines for high-risk groups, including regular nutritious meals and light exercise.

Chronic patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms such as fever or other respiratory symptoms should inform the screening clinic medical staff that these symptoms may be chronic due to their pre-existing conditions. Cancer patients are advised to contact the hospital where they are receiving cancer treatment before visiting a screening clinic.

Im Jin-seok, Director of the City Health Policy Division, said, “High-risk groups such as cancer patients and chronic disease patients have significantly weaker physical strength compared to the general public,” and added, “We urge strict compliance with the special quarantine guidelines for high-risk groups to ensure special health management in the With-Corona era.”