2024-04-19 02:54:21
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency discusses ways to downgrade the COVID-19 crisis level
COVID-19 crisis level alert → concern downgraded by two levels
Isolation recommended for 5 days → Daily routine possible after 24 hours after symptom relief
Switch to mask recommendation in hospital… Nursing facility inspections are also recommended
End of free vaccination… Free for high-risk groups only from the end of this year
The government lowers the COVID-19 crisis level by two levels from alert to the lowest level, concern. Accordingly, all legal obligations applied to quarantine will be lifted and converted to autonomous quarantine practice.
The standard for recommending isolation of confirmed cases will be relaxed from 5 days to 24 hours after major symptoms are alleviated, and the wearing of masks in facilities vulnerable to infection, such as hospitals and nursing facilities, will be changed from mandatory to recommended. Support for testing costs for asymptomatic people will also end.
The COVID-19 Central Accident Control Headquarters announced on the 19th that it discussed ‘plans to downgrade the COVID-19 crisis level’ presided over by Ji Young-mi, head of the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency).
This crisis level downgrade took into account the fact that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has significantly decreased, the mutation that could cause a surge in the epidemic in the short term has not been identified, and the fatality and severity rates of COVID-19 continue to decrease. The only infectious diseases at the ‘Concern’ level are Mpox and COVID-19. However, Mfox also plans to lift the crisis level on May 1.
An official from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “In the case of an infectious disease disaster crisis, the rise to the crisis level is quickly stepped up step by step, but there have been cases in the past where the crisis level was lowered all at once,” adding, “The complete lifting of the concern level is used in many countries based on the trend of mutation occurrence and when mutations occur. “We plan to make a decision by comprehensively considering the response to vaccination and treatment, the general medical system, etc.,” he said.
Accordingly, from the 1st of next month, the government will convert all mandatory quarantine measures to recommendations. The recommended quarantine standards for confirmed cases will also be relaxed to a level similar to that of influenza, a level 4 infectious disease.
Specifically, the standard for recommending isolation of confirmed cases will be relaxed from the existing ‘recommendation of 5 days from the date of sample collection’ to ’24 hours after the main symptoms of COVID-19, such as cough and fever, have improved.’ This took into account the fact that the COVID-19 crisis assessment was rated ‘low’ at the crisis assessment meeting held on the 15th and that the risk of COVID-19 disease was lowered.
Currently, in many overseas countries, such as the UK and Spain, the government does not provide a separate recommended quarantine period. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also lowered its quarantine recommendation from 5 days in March to 24 hours after symptoms have improved and no fever.
In the future, patients confirmed with COVID-19 will be able to return to their daily lives even if it is not more than 5 days after confirmation if there are no abnormalities after observing the progress for about a day after the main symptoms of COVID-19 have improved.
In addition, wearing masks indoors at hospital-level medical institutions and inpatient facilities vulnerable to infection will be changed from mandatory to recommended. Preemptive testing of residents of facilities vulnerable to infection, such as nursing hospitals, will also be changed to recommendation. The obligation to preemptively test workers at facilities vulnerable to infection and their guardians was already converted to a recommendation in June and August of last year, respectively.
Medical support will also be adjusted to minimize the burden of testing and treatment costs. In the case of gene amplification audit (PCR) testing to confirm the diagnosis in the target group for oral treatment, health insurance applies, but the temporary out-of-pocket support of approximately 10,000 to 30,000 won will end. Support for testing costs for asymptomatic people will also disappear.
Rapid antigen testing (RAT) will continue to be supported for symptomatic patients over 60 years of age, patients with underlying diseases over 12 years of age, and immunocompromised patients, as well as those receiving oral treatment, patients visiting nursing facilities in medically vulnerable areas, patients visiting emergency rooms, and patients admitted to intensive care units.
In the case of hospitalization treatment costs, government support for some seriously ill patients will end, but the burden will be minimized through a cap on out-of-pocket expenses. The out-of-pocket cap system is a system that refunds the difference when a certain standard is exceeded to alleviate excessive medical expenses for patients with high or severe diseases. The maximum out-of-pocket limit is 870,000 to 8.08 million won per year, depending on income.
Treatments such as Paxrovid, which are supported for high-risk groups for COVID-19, are being prepared for health insurance coverage. However, before that, a deductible of approximately 5% or 50,000 won is charged. In order to alleviate the burden on low-income patients, free support will be maintained for those who are eligible to receive medical benefits and those who are in the next lowest tier of out-of-pocket expenses.
It was decided to maintain free vaccination for all citizens only until the 2023-2024 vaccination season. Starting with the 2024-2025 vaccination season, free vaccination will be provided only to high-risk groups such as those aged 65 or older and those with weakened immune systems.
The COVID-19 positive surveillance system will end. The status of COVID-19 specimen surveillance can be checked through the infectious disease specimen surveillance weekly newsletter posted every Thursday in the infectious disease news section of the infectious disease portal.
The operation of the Central Accident Control Headquarters (Ministry of Health and Welfare) and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), which were established in January 2020, will end. Accordingly, the relevant personnel will return to normal work. However, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency plans to continue responding to COVID-19 by operating a COVID-19 task force.
This applies from May 1.
Director Ji Young-mi of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “The COVID-19 crisis level has been lowered and the quarantine of confirmed cases has been eased, but the culture of resting when sick is a culture that is essential to preserve the health of members of our society.” He added, “If you have COVID-19 symptoms, you will continue to visit a nearby medical institution for treatment. “Please follow personal quarantine rules in daily life, such as hand washing and cough etiquette,” he requested.
[세종=뉴시스]
2024-04-19 02:54:21