Government: "Refusing treatment if COVID-19 symptomatic infants and toddlers are not accepted"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] The government pointed out that medical institutions refusing to admit infants and toddlers showing COVID-19 symptoms constitute denial of medical care.

At a briefing on the 23rd, Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, said, "(If there are COVID-19 symptoms) treatment should be provided in an isolation space," adding, "Refusal constitutes denial of medical care."

Park also stated, "I have heard of cases where infants and toddlers with fever were refused admission," and added, "We will conduct thorough guidance and inspections."

According to the quarantine authorities, among the 99,573 new confirmed cases, the proportion of those aged 9 and under reached 15.41%. Including those aged 10 to 19 (14.10%), the total was 29.51%.

Last week, the incidence rate per 100,000 for infants and toddlers aged 0 to 6 was 265.2, a sharp increase of 2.2 times compared to 118.5 the previous week.

At the briefing that day, Park Youngjun, head of the epidemiological investigation team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), explained the increase in confirmed cases among children and adolescents, saying, "The trend of children and adolescents accounting for the largest proportion continues," and "It is analyzed that this is because the immunity formed by vaccination is relatively low."

Since confirmed cases among minors such as children and adolescents require care from other family members, there is a high possibility of secondary infections within families.