Transition team calls for antibody testing, domestic production of oral anti-viral for COVID-19

Ahn Cheol-soo, right, chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, speaks with Kim Byung-joon, who is in charge of the committee for national university, in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee who concurrently serves as chairman of the subcommittee responsible for COVID-19 policy, has been critical of the Moon Jae-in government's COVID-19 response, calling it unscientific and politically motivated.

Sharing the results of the subcommittee's first meeting held on Monday at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday, Ahn alleged that the Moon government made populist decisions based on public opinion, which explains why Korea's COVID-19 response has failed.

“The new government will introduce scientific measures that are based on facts, rather than political consideration,” he said.

Ahn unveiled the seven-point policy recommendations that summarized what he and other sub-committee members had discussed on Monday, expressing hope that the Moon government can adopt their policy recommendations in the fight against the pandemic for the remainder of the incumbent president's term until May.

Warning of shortages of the COVID-19 anti-viral drug paxlovid, Ahn said the government should ask the U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer if it can allow the domestic production of the oral medicine in return for royalties.

He said the nation's supply of paxlovid will be completely exhausted by next month, urging the government to secure as many of the pills as it can to save more lives that could be lost due to potential shortages of the anti-viral pills.

The proposal also calls for the lifting of the current at-home treatment, proposing all COVID-19 patients to receive primary care at local clinics in their neighborhoods. Elderly patients or those who test positive while having an underlying medical condition must be prioritized in their treatments. The proposal also calls for disclosure and thorough analysis of data about COVID-19 patients, side effects of vaccines and other information related to the pandemic.

“Disclosure of such data is needed because it will help relieve anxiety and fear of vaccination and people can use the information when they decide whether they are to be vaccinated or not. This is a crucial step to prepare for the next pandemic,” Ahn said during the briefing.

The policy recommendations also call for giving parents the option to decide whether to vaccinate their children aged 5 to 11, rather than making vaccination a requirement.

Stressing the need for anti-body testing on a regular basis, Ahn said currently some 300,000 people are infected but the actual number of COVID-19 patients is much more than that because some others infected with the virus didn't realize it because they have no symptoms.

“We think twice as many people are infected with the virus. To make sure how many people are infected and recovered from the virus, we need anti-body testing,” he said. If regular testing is conducted, he went on to say that the government can come up with a more accurate and scientific policy response to the pandemic.