CHANGES IN COVID-19 PATIENT MANAGEMENT

[Anchor Lead]

The way COVID-19 patients are managed in Korea has changed profoundly as cases are skyrocketing. The infected must provide data on their contacts and self-isolate on their own. They must also personally inform their relatives living together about quarantine rules.

[Pkg]

Under the new regulations, people younger than 60 with no health issues must exercise self-care if they contract COVID-19. Public health centers and local governments are no longer required to monitor their condition. The GPS app for monitoring those in self-quarantine is now out of use. The infected are now fully responsible for themselves. In reality, only 0.09 percent of the infected broke quarantine rules so far.

[Soundbite] Park Young-jun(Central Disease Control HQs) : "Patients classified as ‘regular’ must exercise self-care autonomously. We will send out quarantine notices, but the infected are allowed to go outside when needed. They are very unlikely to transmit the virus further."

Epidemiologists no longer need to monitor the movements of the infected to identify their contacts. Those who contract COVID-19 must go online to personally provide data on places they had visited and people they had met before catching the virus. They must also inform their cohabitants of their infection and quarantine rules. So far the infected had been monitored by the government. From now on they must personally provide epidemiological data, self-quarantine and take care of their health.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Tak(Soonchunhyang Univ. Bucheon Hospital) : "It's the same as with regular respiratory infectious illnesses. Patients seek medical help when their symptoms get worse. Otherwise they care for themselves at home. I don't think it's wrong."

Now that the infected are fully responsible for their condition, many are questioning the necessity of vaccine passes. Authorities will consider adjusting the rule when revising COVID-19 restrictions next time.