"Now Is the Golden Time for Pandemic Response"... KDCA Establishes Four-Stage Response Plan

Commissioner Seungkwan Lim Announces Enhancement Plans at New Year's Meeting
Tailored Responses by Crisis Type According to Infectious Disease Characteristics
Internalizing mRNA Vaccine Development Technology by 2028

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has announced a plan to enhance the infectious disease crisis management system in preparation for future pandemics. The agency believes that, as the COVID-19 recovery phase is nearing its end, now is the 'golden time' to prepare measures that can mitigate the impact of the next pandemic.

Seungkwan Lim, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, held a New Year's meeting at a restaurant in Osong, Chungbuk on the 19th and announced a plan to enhance the infectious disease crisis management system in preparation for the next pandemic. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

On January 19, Seungkwan Lim, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, held a New Year's meeting in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, and revealed detailed measures based on this initiative.

The agency will classify future infectious disease crises into two types according to their characteristics and implement tailored responses. For 'limited transmission types'-diseases with high virulence but low transmissibility, such as MERS and Ebola-the goal is to end the risk within a short period. To achieve this, the agency plans to maintain a constant pool of highly specialized facilities and elite personnel to thoroughly control the spread of risk.

In contrast, for 'pandemic types'-diseases with low virulence but high transmissibility, such as COVID-19-the agency aims to manage the risk and transition the disease into an endemic state, as complete eradication is difficult due to its strong transmissibility.

To this end, the agency has devised a response plan that includes: identifying the nature of the threat within 100 days; completing vaccine development within 200 days; and completing vaccinations within 300 days. The strategy is to use the time gained by clarifying the threat to develop vaccines and treatments, reduce the risk, and then gradually normalize social operations through a four-step process.

Efforts to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are also being accelerated. The agency aims to complete the development of a domestically produced COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and internalize platform technology by 2028. The project has entered Phase 1 clinical trials, and the agency plans to build the capability to develop a vaccine within 200 days in the event of a new pandemic declaration.

An 'Infectious Disease Clinical Research and Analysis Center' will also be established using the donation from the late Lee Kunhee, former Chairman of Samsung. This center will continuously research clinical data during normal times and serve as a terminal to shorten clinical trial periods through public-private cooperation during crises.

The medical response system will also be advanced into four tiers based on specialization. The highest tier, 'Infectious Disease Specialized Hospitals (Tier 1),' will go beyond simple treatment to play a central role in identifying the nature of risks and providing education and training to lower-level medical institutions.

For social interventions such as the quarantine pass and social distancing-which have been sources of social conflict-the agency will prioritize scientific evidence. Policies will be determined by comprehensively considering socioeconomic impacts rather than simply the number of confirmed cases. A 'Public Health and Social Response Manual' will be established to enhance the predictability of public guidelines. The specific requirements for cohort isolation will be stipulated in law to prevent arbitrary isolation and strengthen human rights protections.

The agency will also work to establish governance for public communication. Commissioner Lim stated, "The essence of pandemic response ultimately lies in risk communication," emphasizing that building governance to understand and communicate with the public based on scientific evidence is an important task.

Meanwhile, the agency is currently gathering opinions from various sectors and field personnel through the 'Task Force for Enhancing Infectious Disease Crisis Preparedness and Response System.' The final detailed plan will be confirmed in July.