High-Risk Groups for COVID-19 Complete 'Testing-Diagnosis-Prescription' Within a Day

'Fast Track' Fully Operational in June
Targeting Those Aged 60+, Immunocompromised, and Nursing Hospital Residents

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Starting next month, the government will implement a 'Fast Track' system for high-risk groups such as seniors aged 60 and over, completing everything from testing to diagnosis, prescription of treatment drugs, and hospitalization within a single day.

On the 27th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters discussed the 'Fast Track Promotion Plan for Rapid Protection of High-Risk Groups' and announced that they will transition to a high-risk group management system based on this plan. This measure comes from the judgment that systematic management is necessary for these groups, as seniors still account for 90% of total deaths even after the spread of the relatively less fatal Omicron variant.

The Fast Track targets include ▲ seniors aged 60 and over ▲ immunocompromised individuals ▲ residents of infection-vulnerable facilities mainly occupied by seniors.

For high-risk groups living in the community, once the Fast Track is in operation, they can visit local medical institutions such as respiratory-specialized clinics or designated respiratory medical institutions to receive professional rapid antigen tests (RAT). If the test result is positive and symptoms such as fever are present, the medical institution will immediately prescribe oral treatment drugs.

If a person visits a public health center and tests positive through a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, they will be classified as a focused management group by the health center and undergo health monitoring twice a day through a focused management medical institution. If symptoms develop during home isolation, they can receive face-to-face treatment at an outpatient clinic or be prescribed oral treatment drugs through telemedicine such as phone consultations. If hospitalization is required after oral treatment drug prescription due to consciousness disorders, breathing difficulties, or high fever, they can be promptly admitted to a COVID-19 treatment bed for treatment.

Patients hospitalized in nursing hospitals rather than at home can receive COVID-19 testing from in-hospital medical staff and can also receive face-to-face treatment and oral treatment drug prescriptions. Residents of nursing facilities receive PCR tests through nursing staff within the facility and are prescribed oral treatment drugs either through face-to-face treatment by a medical mobile response team or through telemedicine at a focused management medical institution.

The government plans to continuously strengthen the operation of the Fast Track so that the procedures from testing to prescription can be completed within a day according to the type of high-risk group, and actively guide people to ensure no one misses these procedures due to lack of information.

Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine general team, explained, "As the daily number of confirmed cases decreases, PCR test results are generally improving to be available within a day. Although it is difficult to expedite PCR test results even with the Fast Track, for symptomatic high-risk groups, prescriptions will be made immediately once results are available, ensuring that diagnosis and prescription based on the diagnosis are completed within a day."

Son Young-rae, head of the social strategy team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "To this end, we are integrating previously separated medical systems for diagnosis and prescription as much as possible, and are simplifying procedures and systems by aligning personnel with diagnostic and prescription authority in nursing hospitals and facilities. We plan to launch the Fast Track by mid-June, when all detailed improvements are expected to be completed."