Prime Minister Han Duck-soo Presides Over First Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters Meeting on COVID-19
Same-Day Testing, Treatment, and Prescription for High-Risk Groups
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is presiding over the first meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which has emphasized "scientific quarantine for COVID-19," is launching efforts to establish a new quarantine and medical response system, including the construction of a big data platform and an infectious disease specialized hospital.
On the 27th, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office, "We will build a 'big data platform' to effectively utilize the experience gained from the fight against COVID-19, and accelerate the construction of a 'Central Infectious Disease Specialized Hospital,' which will serve as the control tower for on-site medical response to infectious diseases."
This meeting was the first COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han since his inauguration. Shortly after taking office, on the 22nd, he said at a COVID-19 quarantine status review meeting, "We will establish and implement quarantine policies that the public can trust."
Prime Minister Han has decided to introduce a 'fast track' for high-risk groups of COVID-19. For elderly people aged 60 and above, testing, diagnosis, and prescription of treatments will be completed within a day, and if necessary, they will be able to be admitted to dedicated hospitals without delay.
The experience and know-how accumulated over the past two and a half years of battling COVID-19 will also be consolidated. He explained, "We will systematically link and integrate information scattered across various institutions to create a foundation for science-based quarantine, and also support related research and the development of the health industry."
Prime Minister Han also promised, "To respond professionally and stably to infectious diseases like COVID-19, we will establish a central infectious disease specialized hospital."
President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Emergency Situation Center in Osong, Chungbuk, the day before, and instructed to promptly establish a scientific quarantine system in preparation for the autumn and winter resurgence of COVID-19. The government plans to introduce a supercomputer to the Disease Control Agency early next year to develop more precise predictive models based on artificial intelligence (AI) for data collection and analysis, which are the foundation of scientific quarantine. A new 'Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Body' will also be established to grant experts more roles and authority to deeply engage in quarantine policy.
Prime Minister Han said, "Although the Omicron variant has been steadily declining for two months, around 20,000 cases per day are still occurring, and preparation for new variants is necessary. We will thoroughly prepare so that even if a crisis comes again, we can protect the daily lives of the people."
Regarding the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) at a pig farm in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province, for the first time in seven months, he also urged swift quarantine measures. Prime Minister Han requested, "The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs should conduct a thorough epidemiological investigation into the route of occurrence, and related ministries such as the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and local governments should actively cooperate to ensure that no further spread occurs and to maintain thorough quarantine management."
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