Jeong Ki-seok, head of the COVID-19 Special Response Team and member of the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee, stated on the 13th that incentives for prescribing doctors should be considered to ensure the proper prescription of oral COVID-19 treatments.
During the regular COVID-19 briefing that day, Jeong said, "Paxlovid has 26 contraindicated drugs, but in reality, there are well over 100 medications involved, so it is true that it requires special time and effort in busy medical settings." He presented research results showing that oral treatments reduce severity and mortality rates, adding, "Despite the excellent empirical therapeutic effects of COVID-19 treatments, the prescription rate of antiviral treatments for high-risk groups aged 60 and over in Korea has been slow to increase, remaining around 35% since October."
According to Jeong, prescription incentives could be provided either by directly paying additional fees when prescribing or by including the prescription of oral COVID-19 treatments as one of the indicators in medical management evaluations, differentiating between medical institutions with high and low prescription rates.
Jeong added, "If the prescription rate improves further through the efforts of doctors, patients, and the government, the return to daily life under a safer medical environment from COVID-19 risks will be faster."
Meanwhile, Jeong said regarding the possible lifting of the indoor mask mandate on public transportation as early as the 20th, "I think there will be no major difficulties even if it is implemented." If the mask mandate on public transportation is lifted, mask-related measures will be limited to medical institutions, pharmacies, and infection-vulnerable facilities.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
