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| Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae announces renewed quarantine guidelines for school attendance during a briefing at the government complex in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Concerns are growing over possible COVID-19 infections among students in high-risk groups, such as those with underlying disease and those who are unvaccinated ahead of the beginning of spring semester as the highly transmissible COVID-19 Omicron variant has continued to spread rapidly across the country.
Although the Ministry of Education (MOE) recently issued revised quarantine guidelines for attendance in the new semester, aimed at flexibly responding to the virus situation, many point out they are not enough to prevent possible transmissions among students.
Experts point out that high-risk students such as children with diabetes or severe asthma who are infected with the Omicron variant have an increased risk of fatality and the education ministry should prepare specific protection measures for them.
The ministry's new guidelines, announced, Thursday, stipulate that there are six major categories: endocrine disorders such as diabetes and obesity; cardiovascular disease; chronic kidney disease; chronic respiratory disease such as severe asthma; neurological disease; and immunocompromised students.
Those with underlying diseases can undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test if they are found to have been in close contact with an infected patient based on the school's own contact tracing, according to the guidelines.
Students with underlying diseases can obtain a confirmation from the principals of their schools to prove that they are in the high-risk patients group in order to undergo PCR test at a screening center.
Those who test negative can return to school immediately, but those with a positive result will be subject to the care of health authorities.
The ministry also advised schools to identify patients with underlying diseases in advance and educate students with underlying diseases on how to practice more thorough personal hygiene.
But infectious disease experts warn that such measures to protect high-risk students are insufficient.
"The hospitalization rate has quadrupled as the number of children infected with COVID-19 in the United States has skyrocketed," said Chon Eun-mi, a professor of respiratory medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.
"For students with underlying diseases, homeroom teachers should pay more attention to hygiene and supervise them more actively so that they can get tested immediately if necessary."
Epidemiologists also criticized the lack of adequate protection measures for unvaccinated students.
"Those who are unvaccinated are also categorized as a high-risk group," said Kim Woo-joo, professor of the infectious disease department at Korea University Guro Hospital.
"Although the Omicron variant resulted in notably lower hospitalization and death rates, it can be fatal for unvaccinated people and those with underlying diseases," Kim said.
The number of infections is increasing especially among elementary, middle, and high school students as the vaccination rate is low among the age group.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as of Saturday, the number of infections per 100,000 people aged 10 to 19 was 3,413. Those aged 20 to 29 followed with 3,318, and those aged under nine followed with 3,095.
The inoculation rate of those aged 18 or older was 96.8 percent for the first dose and 95.9 percent for the second dose. On the other hand, 81.5 percent of those aged between 13 and 18 received the first dose of vaccine, and 77.0 percent completed the second dose.
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