Authorities still hit for lack of preparations
Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases hit an all-time high of 14,518 Thursday, raising concerns about a further upsurge of infections during the long Lunar New Year weekend from this Saturday to next Wednesday. The speed of the virus spread is alarming as the number of new cases more than doubled from the 6,769 reported Jan. 21. The resurgence is attributed to the Omicron variant which has emerged as the dominant strain since its first detection here Dec. 1.
The question is now how to check the further spread of the virus. This week the government introduced a new response system to cope more effectively with the highly contagious variant. One of the major changes is to replace polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests with rapid antigen self-tests at testing sites, except for those aged over 60 or high-risks groups. Health authorities said they will focus on treating critically ill patients, while local hospitals and clinics will administer diagnostic tests and treat patients with light symptoms starting Feb. 3.
Those measures are inevitable as the authorities predict daily new infections will surge to around 30,000 next month. But such steps appear to be insufficient to test and treat the explosive number of patients. The situation could get worse as some medical experts warn that the number could skyrocket to 200,000 in March. At stake is how to prevent the potential collapse of the country's healthcare system in the face of an Omicron catastrophe.
The mobilization of neighborhood clinics seems to be a good idea. But many clinics are reluctant to participate in the government's new scheme because most of them are short-staffed and fear a decline in revenues. It is difficult to induce their participation without sufficient compensation. In this situation, the government has yet to work out any detailed guidelines on how clinics will provide services for patients undergoing at-home treatment.
Another problem is that the results of rapid antigen self-tests is not accurate. The country cannot fight the pandemic with inaccurate test kits. It had been lauded for its excellent "K-quarantine" focused on testing, tracing and treating. But such a method can no longer be tenable for Omicron which is twice as contagious as Delta. The new variant has already started accounting for half of new infections.
The government is again under fire for its lack of preparedness for the raging wave of the pandemic. It should have learned a lesson from its previous mistakes as seen in the failure to implement its "Living with COVID-19" strategy last November. Complacency and belated measures are the biggest enemy in combating the unprecedented pandemic.
The most critical point is the Lunar New Year holiday during which about 28 million people are expected to travel across the country to visit family or tourist attractions. On Monday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum asked people to refrain from traveling during the holiday to help stem the spread of the virus. Citizens need to respond positively to such a request to make a joint effort against infection. Most of all, the government should take all possible means to protect people's health.
Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases hit an all-time high of 14,518 Thursday, raising concerns about a further upsurge of infections during the long Lunar New Year weekend from this Saturday to next Wednesday. The speed of the virus spread is alarming as the number of new cases more than doubled from the 6,769 reported Jan. 21. The resurgence is attributed to the Omicron variant which has emerged as the dominant strain since its first detection here Dec. 1.
The question is now how to check the further spread of the virus. This week the government introduced a new response system to cope more effectively with the highly contagious variant. One of the major changes is to replace polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests with rapid antigen self-tests at testing sites, except for those aged over 60 or high-risks groups. Health authorities said they will focus on treating critically ill patients, while local hospitals and clinics will administer diagnostic tests and treat patients with light symptoms starting Feb. 3.
Those measures are inevitable as the authorities predict daily new infections will surge to around 30,000 next month. But such steps appear to be insufficient to test and treat the explosive number of patients. The situation could get worse as some medical experts warn that the number could skyrocket to 200,000 in March. At stake is how to prevent the potential collapse of the country's healthcare system in the face of an Omicron catastrophe.
The mobilization of neighborhood clinics seems to be a good idea. But many clinics are reluctant to participate in the government's new scheme because most of them are short-staffed and fear a decline in revenues. It is difficult to induce their participation without sufficient compensation. In this situation, the government has yet to work out any detailed guidelines on how clinics will provide services for patients undergoing at-home treatment.
Another problem is that the results of rapid antigen self-tests is not accurate. The country cannot fight the pandemic with inaccurate test kits. It had been lauded for its excellent "K-quarantine" focused on testing, tracing and treating. But such a method can no longer be tenable for Omicron which is twice as contagious as Delta. The new variant has already started accounting for half of new infections.
The government is again under fire for its lack of preparedness for the raging wave of the pandemic. It should have learned a lesson from its previous mistakes as seen in the failure to implement its "Living with COVID-19" strategy last November. Complacency and belated measures are the biggest enemy in combating the unprecedented pandemic.
The most critical point is the Lunar New Year holiday during which about 28 million people are expected to travel across the country to visit family or tourist attractions. On Monday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum asked people to refrain from traveling during the holiday to help stem the spread of the virus. Citizens need to respond positively to such a request to make a joint effort against infection. Most of all, the government should take all possible means to protect people's health.
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