Assemblyman Oh Young-hwan, "Despite frequent contact with infectious disease patients, proper testing is not conducted"
"Testing rate is only about 1.7% despite the surge in infected patients"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] As the cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases surpassed 300,000, it was found that firefighters in Gyeonggi-do are the most vulnerable to infections such as viruses among firefighters nationwide.
In particular, concerns have been raised that despite frequent contact with infectious disease patients, including directly transporting COVID-19 patients, proper diagnostic testing is not being adequately conducted.
According to data submitted by the Fire Agency to Oh Young-hwan, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea (Uijeongbu Gap), the results of infectious disease diagnostic tests for 119 rescue and emergency medical technicians over the past three years (2019 to June 2021) showed that out of 160,866 subjects, only 2,701 (1.7%) were tested.
Over the past three years, the number of untested personnel was highest in Gyeonggi-do with 82,860, followed by Daegu (27,692), Seoul (23,969), Chungnam (5,831), Gyeongbuk (4,601), Jeonbuk (3,315), Gwangju (1,824), Gyeongnam (1,598), Busan (1,307), Ulsan (1,178), Sejong (1,104), Incheon (1,034), Gangwon (803), Daejeon (530), Changwon (379), Chungbuk (113), Jeju (18), and Jeonnam (9).
Additionally, from last year to this year, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases among 119 emergency medical technicians reached 60, and work-related infections were also identified.
According to epidemiological investigations by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, among 105 confirmed firefighter cases (including fire, rescue, and emergency medical personnel), 78 had unknown infection routes.
Article 23-2 (Notification of Infectious Disease Patients, etc.) of the Act on 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services and the Standard Guidelines for Infection Control of Emergency Medical Technicians stipulate that if an emergency patient transported by the emergency medical team is diagnosed as an infectious disease patient, the head of the medical institution must immediately notify the Fire Agency Chief or Fire Headquarters Chief. Furthermore, the Fire Agency Chief must ensure that emergency medical technicians who have come into contact with the notified infectious disease patient receive appropriate treatment.
Assemblyman Oh Young-hwan stated, "With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the cumulative number of confirmed cases has exceeded 340,000," and emphasized, "For the safety of emergency medical technicians who directly transport COVID-19 patients and the safety of citizens using ambulances, at least PCR testing should be conducted."
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