The Increasing Trend of COVID-19 Cases... Are Diagnostic Kits and Over-the-Counter Medicines Making a Comeback?

New COVID-19 Cases Near 20,000 for Third Day
Home Treatment Cost Support Suspended from 11th
Concerns Arise Across Pharmacies

A pharmacy in Seoul city. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As the number of new COVID-19 cases approaches 20,000, showing an increasing trend, there are forecasts that the demand for diagnostic kits and over-the-counter medicines, which had stabilized, will rise again.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 7th, as of midnight, 18,511 new COVID-19 cases were reported. For three consecutive days since the 5th, the number of new cases has remained between 18,000 and 19,000, indicating signs of a resurgence.

The impact of the increase in new cases is also evident in pharmacies across the country. The number of people seeking self-test kits and over-the-counter medicines, which had sharply declined during the previous downtrend, has increased. A pharmacy official in Songpa-gu, Seoul, said, "For the past two months or so, self-test kits hardly sold even one per day, but recently, about two to three kits are sold daily." In particular, there is an expectation that demand for over-the-counter medicines may also increase as some people still prefer to endure COVID-19 symptoms at home using these medicines.

Meanwhile, concerns are emerging in pharmacies about the suspension of treatment cost support for patients receiving home treatment starting from the 11th. Previously, patients only had to pay about 5,000 won as their share for COVID-19 testing, but going forward, they will have to pay separately for medicines at pharmacies.

Pharmacist A said, "If patients who are unaware of the suspension of treatment cost support complain about why they have to pay, the pharmacist will bear the brunt of the damage," adding, "Since this is an important policy change, the government should actively inform the public." Another pharmacist expressed concern, saying, "If treatment cost support is suspended, even if patients test positive, some may try to endure symptoms with existing over-the-counter medicines," and added, "Measures to minimize confusion on the ground are also necessary."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recently concluded the 'Cold Medicine Supply Status Monitoring,' which was conducted to stabilize the supply of cold medicines during the Omicron variant surge. However, as signs of a COVID-19 resurgence appear, there is a possibility that the supply status of cold medicines will be reviewed again depending on the situation.