"The Fear of the Unfading 'Corona Stigma': 'I'm Afraid of Being a Burden'"

'Corona Stigma' Causing Social Discrimination and Disadvantages Against Confirmed Cases
67.8% of Adults "Fear Being Blamed for Testing Positive"
Experts Warn "Corona Stigma May Hinder Quarantine Efforts"
"Success of Quarantine Depends on Inclusion and Human Rights Protection," They Urge

On the morning of the 16th, citizens visiting the Jung-gu temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza waited in line to have samples collected for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] #Choi Mo (28), a freelancer living in Seoul, recently received a notification from an epidemiologist that he had been classified as a close contact of a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). After undergoing a specimen test, Choi confessed that he was anxious throughout the waiting period for the results. He said, "The test result was negative, but I was tormented by fear while waiting," adding, "More than the fear of COVID-19 itself, I was scared that I might cause trouble to my friends or business partners around me."

As the spread of COVID-19 continues unabated, confirmed patients are increasingly anxious about the so-called 'COVID stigma.' COVID stigma refers not to the suffering caused by the viral infection itself, but to the fear of cold attitudes and implicit discrimination from those around them after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Experts warn that this fear of COVID stigma may discourage confirmed patients from voluntarily participating in diagnostic testing, thereby threatening quarantine efforts.

COVID stigma has been a persistent issue since COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China, at the end of last year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also posted a lengthy appeal on its official website last June, urging the reduction of social stigma caused by COVID-19.

At that time, the CDC defined COVID stigma as "the need to blame someone due to lack of knowledge about transmission, fear of illness and death, and gossip spreading rumors and myths," warning that "public health emergencies like COVID-19 cause stress in communities, which can lead to social stigma against people or places."

On the morning of October 6th, a staff member disinfects the entrance of the examination room at the COVID-19 screening clinic of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

In South Korea, cases of harm caused by COVID stigma are also occurring one after another. Earlier, on the 10th, Sunchang County in Jeonbuk announced on the 17th that it would suspend a public health official affiliated with the county health center, who was the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the county, citing lack of job performance ability, sparking controversy.

The county judged that the official, as the person responsible for quarantine, should have taken preemptive measures such as refraining from going to work or self-isolating even with mild symptoms, but neglected to do so. However, the Korean Pediatric Society opposed this, calling it "a serious human rights violation treating virus-infected patients as criminals," and on the 18th filed a complaint against Sunchang County Governor Hwang Sukju with the National Human Rights Commission.

On the 15th of last month, a branch of a financial company issued a notice to employees stating, "Although disciplinary action cannot be taken for COVID confirmation, personnel disadvantages such as promotion and evaluation will definitely be given depending on the circumstances of the confirmation," which also sparked controversy.

As a result, concerns about COVID stigma may not ease as long as the spread of COVID-19 continues.

According to the 'Social Trends in Korea 2020' data released by Statistics Korea on the 11th, fear of COVID stigma was found to be very high.

According to a survey conducted seven times this year by Professor Yoo Myungsun's team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, targeting 1,000 adults nationwide, the percentage of respondents who said they were afraid of being blamed and harmed because of being confirmed was 68.3% in March. It recorded 60.2% and 57.1% in April and May respectively, but surged to 67.8% in the survey conducted at the end of October when the spread of COVID-19 worsened.

Office workers worried about the possibility of becoming the so-called 'patient zero' in their workplace. A (29), working at a manufacturing company in the metropolitan area, said, "Due to the complex nature of manufacturing work, if one person is infected, it can cause a major disruption in production," adding, "The company won't demand compensation for damages, but honestly, implicit blame is unavoidable."

Another office worker, B (33), pointed out, "When one's livelihood is threatened, anyone would naturally become sensitive," adding, "Even if I wasn't infected due to my fault, if someone suffers damage because of the infection, voices of resentment will naturally arise."

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, briefing on COVID-19 on the 14th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, experts and quarantine authorities have urged cooperation and solidarity from the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, warning that stigmatizing confirmed patients could threaten government quarantine policies.

The Korean Society of Preventive Medicine stated in a declaration issued in February, when the first wave of COVID-19 began in earnest, "Stigma against patients and contacts violates their dignified human rights and makes rapid diagnosis and patient management more difficult," adding, "The success or failure of infectious disease control depends not on exclusion and discrimination but on inclusion and protection of human rights, which is a public health lesson learned from previous epidemics." This implies that if confirmed patients do not comply with diagnostic testing and quarantine rules due to COVID stigma, the quarantine network could become vulnerable.

Quarantine authorities also called for social solidarity and inclusion toward confirmed patients. Jeong Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (then Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), explained at a briefing in March, "If patients are blamed for having COVID-19, they suffer serious mental aftereffects even after overcoming the disease," adding, "If people who need to be tested refuse due to fear of social blame, leading to further infections, the damage will affect the entire community."

She continued, "COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease that anyone can catch, and being infected should not be a cause for blame or stigma," urging, "Warm consideration and encouragement for confirmed patients, their families, those in self-quarantine, and recovered patients are necessary."

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