[5 Experts' Diagnosis] Vaccine Pass or Social Distancing... Experts' Opinions Also Diverge

"Industry Fatigue vs Compensation After Implementation"
'Strong Disagreement Over Expansion of Quarantine Pass'

"No More Time to Delay"
'Calls for Expanding Hospital Beds and Strengthening Social Distancing'

"Increase in Severe Cases Due to Nursing Hospitals and Facilities"
'Unified Calls to Accelerate Additional Vaccinations (Booster Shots)'

[Asia Economy reporters Seo So-jeong and Lee Chun-hee] On the 26th, the number of new COVID-19 cases approached 4,000, and the number of critically ill patients and those waiting for hospital beds continued to break records, putting the 'gradual recovery to daily life (With Corona)' at risk of suspension. The government had initially planned to announce new quarantine measures on this day after discussions at the Recovery Support Committee the previous day, but due to sharp disagreements over expanding the vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system (quarantine pass) and strengthening social distancing, the announcement was postponed to next Monday. Experts pointed out that as the shortage of intensive care beds in the metropolitan area worsens day by day, the implementation of daily life recovery should be temporarily halted to focus on reorganizing the medical system.

◆ Heated debate over applying quarantine pass to restaurants and cafes = Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine, a member of the Recovery Support Committee, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "The postponement of the government's quarantine measures announcement is due to the need to consider the opinions of the business sector on strengthening quarantine and the social fatigue caused by prolonged social distancing," adding, "We must consider the possible backlash that could occur if social distancing is strengthened again at the stage of gradual recovery to daily life."

The most contentious issue at the Recovery Support Committee meeting held the previous day was the expansion of the quarantine pass to restaurants and cafes. As indoor activities increase during the winter season, the government is seriously considering allowing only fully vaccinated individuals to use restaurants and cafes, where the risk of infection is high due to eating activities, but small business owners and self-employed people strongly oppose this.

Professor Jung argued, "Given the growing scale of the outbreak and the shortage of intensive care beds, it is necessary to consider measures to reduce social gatherings and contacts." Professor Baek Soon-young, emeritus professor at the Catholic University College of Medicine, said, "At this point, people have no choice but to refrain from gatherings and reduce contacts," adding, "The quarantine authorities must deliver a clear message, and since this will inevitably cause strong resistance from small business owners, definite compensation measures must be provided."

On the 26th, as the spread of COVID-19 intensifies, a mobile negative pressure isolation room for treating critically ill patients is being operated in the parking lot of Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

◆ "Massive expansion of temporary beds and personnel needed" = Experts emphasized that securing intensive care beds and medical personnel is the most urgent task as the number of patients waiting for beds surged by 370 in one day to 1,310. Professor Baek said, "We need to massively expand temporary beds," and added, "Like during the first wave of COVID-19 in Daegu, we should expand medical staff by mobilizing doctors and nurses resting in the community and create beds and treatment facilities." He pointed out that issuing administrative orders to tertiary hospitals as is currently done will inevitably harm other critically ill patients.

Professor Kim Yoon of Seoul National University College of Medicine's Department of Healthcare Management also said, "The government should reflect on whether it did its best to secure beds and personnel sufficiently before this situation occurred," diagnosing, "Although the medical community has continuously mentioned the need to increase personnel, insisting on dispatched personnel and not allowing hospitals to hire staff themselves has caused problems in preparing for the surge in critically ill patients with previous treatment capacity."

As the shortage of beds worsens, it is also urgent to clearly prioritize bed allocation. Professor Kim said, "The fastest measure in the current situation is to postpone admissions and surgeries for non-emergency and mild patients," adding, "Currently, even in tertiary hospitals, patients wait 6 months to a year for non-emergency joint surgeries, but the system should be reorganized to prioritize critically ill patients."

On the 26th, as the number of severe COVID-19 patients rapidly increased raising concerns about a shortage of hospital beds, citizens visiting the screening clinic set up at Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Seoul are waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

◆ "Speed up booster shots for the elderly" = Experts unanimously agreed that booster shots for the elderly should be accelerated. Professor Kim said, "The increase in critically ill patients is not due to With Corona but due to cluster infections in vulnerable facilities such as nursing hospitals," pointing out, "Strengthening social distancing or quarantine passes will not reduce infections in nursing hospitals, so the cause and remedy do not match."

Professor Baek said, "The participation rate for booster shots among people in their 60s is low because many are not yet eligible for boosters due to the extended interval for AstraZeneca vaccinations," adding, "It is practically impossible to speed up booster shots in terms of time."

Masang-hyuk, Chair of the Infectious Disease Countermeasures Committee at the Gyeongnam Medical Association, emphasized, "Strengthening the quarantine pass is only a temporary measure for the current problems," and stressed, "Ultimately, social distancing must be reinforced again to reduce social activities and contacts, thereby reducing the number of patients in a reorganization process."

Professor Han Chang-hoon of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ilsan Hospital said, "With many patients waiting for beds, hospitals are already saturated," and warned, "If the emergency plan is not activated given the current strain on medical staff, the medical response system will no longer hold." He added, "Social distancing and vaccination are efforts to sustain the medical response system, and it is urgent to revise the easing of social distancing and strengthen incentives related to quarantine."