Gimhae-si Responds to COVID-19 with Strengthened Quarantine Measures

Monitoring for Both Intensive and General Home Treatment Groups

20 Additional Staff for Civil Complaint Call Center to Reduce Waiting Time

Gyeongnam Province Gimhae City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Se-ryeong] Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province announced on the 16th that it will strengthen special quarantine measures to protect the lives of its citizens from COVID-19.

The city stated that the number of confirmed cases more than doubled in the second week of February compared to 1,182 cases in the first week, and that the daily cases approached 500 to 700 for three consecutive days.

The Omicron variant virus has spread rapidly, accounting for 31% of total confirmed cases, mainly transmitted among family members of confirmed cases, with small-scale group infections occurring in gatherings with friends and acquaintances, as well as workplaces.

According to the city, infections among teenagers aged 19 and under account for the highest proportion at 27%, and although the proportion of confirmed cases aged 60 and over has slightly increased, the number of cases in this age group has more than doubled compared to the previous week, raising concerns about progression to severe illness or increased deaths.

To protect the health of local residents, the city monitors high-risk groups intensively twice a day at five home treatment management medical institutions.

For the general management group who manage themselves at home, the city operates one medical consultation center and one administrative support center.

The general management group, accounting for 85% of home treatment patients, can receive non-face-to-face medical consultations during the day at local clinics and hospitals, and can receive 24-hour medical consultation at the medical consultation center and administrative support at the administrative support center.

To alleviate the anxiety of confirmed cases in the general management group, the city plans to assign dedicated personnel to monitor them once or twice during self-quarantine.

To ensure smooth operation of the COVID-19 response civil complaint call center, the city will add 20 dedicated personnel to resolve call delays.

Since the 14th, the city has started administering the Novavax vaccine at 10 medical institutions in the area targeting adults aged 18 and over who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, hospitalized patients at high risk of severe illness or death, and homebound elderly and severely disabled individuals.

For those who have completed the third dose, a fourth dose is also being administered to immunocompromised individuals, residents and workers of nursing hospitals and facilities.

According to the revised testing system effective from the 3rd, general citizens who are not prioritized for PCR testing will receive rapid antigen tests at public health centers, respiratory clinics, and local clinics and hospitals designated for respiratory treatment.

Respiratory specialized clinics and designated medical institutions can be checked on the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service and Gimhae City websites.

A city official said, “We ask that you use nearby clinics and hospitals where rapid antigen testing is available, and we will mobilize all administrative resources to protect local residents from COVID-19.”