COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 21st. January 21, 2022. [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced on the 21st that "the use of oral antiviral treatments will be further expanded," stating, "We will lower the eligible age for administration from 65 to 60 years and expand the supply institutions to include long-term care hospitals, nursing facilities, and infectious disease specialized hospitals." Additionally, to respond to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, the medical response system will be reorganized by introducing rapid antigen testing methods at screening clinics.
On the same day, Prime Minister Kim chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Seoul and said, "Once the system that allows checking individual patient medical histories is operational next week, prescriptions are expected to increase."
Regarding the recent COVID-19 confirmed cases, Prime Minister Kim stated, "The Omicron onslaught has officially begun," adding, "The number of confirmed cases has been rising sharply for several days, and Omicron has already become the dominant strain in Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province." However, he emphasized, "There is no need to be excessively fearful or gripped by vague anxiety," and said, "To respond more effectively to Omicron, we will attempt several changes to the existing medical response system."
In this context, Prime Minister Kim said, "We will introduce rapid antigen testing, which allows self-diagnosis, to screening clinics," and expressed hope that "since the existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will be limited to high-risk groups, the process will be much faster." He also added, "We will first apply a model that shifts the testing and treatment system to neighborhood clinics in several regions where Omicron is rapidly increasing," and "we will decide on expansion or supplementation based on the results."
Furthermore, he stated, "To reduce imported confirmed cases, we will strengthen entry management," and said, "In addition to the existing PCR tests during quarantine after entry, rapid antigen tests will be additionally conducted." He continued, "We will strictly limit the reasons for quarantine exemption and minimize the number of eligible individuals, while also shortening the validity period of exemption certificates from one month to 14 days."
Prime Minister Kim appealed for cooperation, saying, "There will be various changes in quarantine and medical response to counter Omicron's attack," and "Since this is an unprecedented path, active cooperation and dedication from the medical community and participation and support from all citizens are more crucial than ever."
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