The Government Prepares for 'Return to Normal'... When Will Spring Come for the Elderly Amid Resurgent COVID-19?

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] As the proportion of elderly among recent confirmed COVID-19 cases increases, the previously declining COVID-19 fatality rate is rising again. Experts advise that even if the government prepares for a full return to normal life within this year, the medical system for high-risk groups should be maintained until these groups face the spring season.

According to the quarantine authorities on the 16th, monitoring COVID-19 confirmed cases for two weeks from the 4th week of January showed a fatality rate of 0.11%. This is a 0.02 percentage point increase compared to the previous week (0.09%) and matches the fatality rate in March last year (0.11%). Compared to July last year (0.04%), when the fatality rate was at its lowest due to COVID-19 antibody formation, it has nearly tripled. During the same period, the severe case rate rose by 56.3% in one month to 0.25%.

Regarding this, Im Suk-young, Situation General Manager of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, “The proportion of elderly confirmed cases, which had stayed in the low 20% range, has now risen to the high 20% range,” adding, “Because the elderly group with a high fatality rate accounts for a large portion of total confirmed cases, the overall fatality rate is increasing.” In fact, the cumulative fatality rate from ages 0 to 40 is very low at 0.01%, but for those in their 60s and 70s, it is 0.12% and 0.45% respectively, and for those aged 80 and above, it reaches 1.96%. While for younger people, COVID-19 is a mild infectious disease with only 1 death per 10,000 confirmed cases, for the elderly aged 80 and above, the fatality rate remains high, with 1 death per 50 cases.

The quarantine authorities plan to sequentially prepare measures to manage COVID-19 at a general medical level based on the results of the 15th emergency meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) scheduled for April, but this is why there are calls to maintain the quarantine system for the elderly for the time being.

Until now, COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral treatments have been free, but there is a possibility they will shift to out-of-pocket expenses in the future. Vaccine manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer plan to raise the price per dose to $110?130 if the U.S. government ends the national COVID-19 emergency in May. Oral treatments like Paxlovid are still under patent protection, so the government is purchasing them at expensive prices costing tens of thousands of won.

Experts say that to suppress the COVID-19 fatality rate, free support should continue at least for high-risk groups. Also, like with the flu, even if patients visit hospitals or clinics for treatment, a certain scale of dedicated treatment beds for severe patients should be maintained. Kim Woo-joo, Professor of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, “Even if COVID-19 is managed within general medical care, the government must establish a system so that high-risk groups vulnerable to COVID-19 can receive treatment without financial burden,” adding, “If the government preparing for a return to normal life neglects the elderly, a situation akin to a ‘modern-day Goryeojang’ could occur.”