1441 Days Since the First Patient Case on January 20, 2020
Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do announced that it will end the operation of health center screening clinics from January 1, 2024, following the government's reorganization of the COVID-19 response system, with operations concluding on the 31st of this month.
The suspension of screening clinic operations comes 1,441 days after the first patient was confirmed on January 20, 2020.
On the 15th, the government decided at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting to maintain the crisis level at 'caution' considering the shift in the trend of confirmed cases and the simultaneous spread of respiratory infectious diseases during winter, but to end the operation of screening clinics due to the recent decrease in PCR tests and the normalization of health center functions.
Once the screening clinics cease operation, individuals eligible for free PCR testing at health centers can receive tests at general medical institutions that prescribe oral antiviral treatments, and testing costs for high-risk groups will continue to be supported.
The groups eligible for free PCR testing at general medical institutions include those eligible for oral antiviral treatments (persons aged 60 and over, patients aged 12 and above with underlying conditions or immunocompromised), emergency room and intensive care unit inpatients, high-risk inpatients, and caregivers (attendants) of residents in nursing hospitals, psychiatric medical institutions, and nursing facilities.
Other individuals, such as patients scheduled for admission to general wards and their caregivers (attendants), workers in high-risk facilities, and those requiring testing based on a doctor's opinion, must undergo testing at general medical institutions at their own full expense.
A city official stated, "We will actively promote the end of screening clinic operations through the city website, SNS, and other channels to ensure citizens do not experience inconvenience," adding, "Although the screening clinics will close, COVID-19 response and intensive management for infection-vulnerable facilities protecting high-risk groups will continue."
Meanwhile, over the past four years, the city's health center screening clinics have conducted 1,070,827 PCR tests and confirmed 201,129 cases, playing a crucial role in preventing community transmission of COVID-19 and early detection of patients through rapid diagnostic testing.
Suncheon = Lee Yeon-kyung, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy hss79@asiae.co.kr
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