Authorities "Considering Including COVID-19 in Surveillance System Like Seasonal Flu" (Update)

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Health authorities are considering including the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the influenza surveillance system to monitor it like seasonal flu.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said at a regular briefing on the 15th, "We are currently reviewing the plan to add COVID-19 to the surveillance system for respiratory infection-causing pathogens and are consulting with local governments."

Currently, health authorities operate an influenza surveillance system as part of the community infection monitoring system. According to this system, if patients visiting about 200 private clinics throughout the year show suspected influenza symptoms, cases are reported, and among them, 52 medical institutions collect specimens and send them to the Health and Environment Research Institute. There, tests are conducted for eight types of respiratory viruses, including the influenza virus, and information is provided weekly to the public and healthcare professionals.

Earlier, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also announced that COVID-19 could continue to spread in the community like the flu and that virus testing would be conducted on flu patients. This means that if influenza tests are negative, COVID-19 tests will be performed, and it appears that we will operate a similar surveillance system.

Head Jung said, "While focusing on blocking and containing COVID-19 from spreading in the community and medical institutions, we also recognize the need for long-term preparedness for the possibility of ongoing outbreaks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.