Government: "'Reduction in Prosecutor Cases Ahead of General Election' Report Completely Untrue" (Update)

"I Have Never Denied Medical Institution Test Claims Until Now"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 13th, the government strongly expressed regret, stating that it is "completely untrue" regarding reports by some media outlets alleging that the number of tests is being reduced to lower the number of new COVID-19 cases ahead of the April 15 general election.

Kim Kang-lip, the 1st General Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a regular briefing held at the Government Sejong Complex on the same day, "Today, some media outlets reported that as the general election approaches, the government is reducing the number of tests to decrease the occurrence of new confirmed cases," adding, "We explained two days ago that this is completely untrue, so we deeply regret and strongly express our disappointment that such reports were published."

The suspicion began in earnest after a specialist posted on their SNS that "Ahead of the general election, the government is preventing COVID-19 diagnostic testing. The guidelines for suspected COVID-19 patients have changed so that tests are only conducted if pneumonia is visible on CT (computed tomography) or X-ray scans."

The revised COVID-19 response guideline 7-3, amended on the 15th of last month, changed the regulation for symptomatic individuals under investigation from "those suspected of having COVID-19 based on a doctor's opinion" to "those suspected of having COVID-19 such as unexplained pneumonia based on a doctor's opinion."

The government emphasized that there have been no cases so far where medical institutions' test claims were denied. Coordinator Kim stated, "The guideline merely mentions unexplained pneumonia as an example of patients subject to testing," and "there have been no cases where test claims by medical institutions were rejected due to medical judgment; all have been fully accepted."

He added, "The strongest weapon in responding to COVID-19 is the public's trust in the quarantine authorities and the active participation of the public based on that trust," warning, "Reports not based on objective facts damage the trust between the quarantine authorities and the public, waste administrative resources, and hinder the COVID-19 response."

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