Even After Elementary School Students Complete Home Treatment for COVID-19, Guardians Must Isolate for 2 More Weeks

Authorities Distribute 'Self-Treatment Guidelines' for COVID-19 Patients to Frontline
Children Under 12 and Parents with Children Can Receive Treatment at Home
Guardians in Shared Self-Quarantine Managed Like Close Contacts

Medical staff are busily moving at the temporary screening clinic set up in Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Children under the age of 12 who contract the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) can now receive treatment at home in isolation with one guardian, without being admitted to a residential treatment center or hospital. The guardian must remain in isolation for an additional two weeks even after the infected child has fully recovered and been released from isolation.

Conversely, if only the parent is confirmed positive and the child requiring care is not infected, home treatment is still possible. However, neither the child nor the parent should belong to a high-risk group, and no visitors are allowed during the treatment period. Even if two children are infected, only one uninfected guardian needs to isolate with them.

Self-Treatment Introduced Early Abroad Amid Surge in Cases
Domestic Bed Capacity Available but Emotional Care for Pediatric Patients Considered

According to the self-treatment guidelines recently prepared by the quarantine authorities and shared with local governments on the 3rd, specific instructions were established to allow pediatric patients to receive treatment at home (self-treatment/home treatment) after confirmation, citing emotional and psychological stability as reasons. Following the revision of related laws last October, which made self-treatment possible based on medical judgment, the authorities refined the self-treatment guidelines through expert discussions.

According to the newly established guidelines, self-treatment will first apply to children aged 3 months and older but under 12 years old. Isolation treatment remains the default, but if criteria and conditions are met, limited self-treatment is allowed based on the judgment of patient management departments within local governments. Even during self-treatment, patients receive health monitoring twice daily and can be prescribed medication as needed.

COVID-19 Self-Treatment Workflow Diagram

Many Pediatric and Young Patients Are Asymptomatic or Mild with Low Risk of Severe Progression
High-Risk Groups Excluded... Only One Guardian Allowed for Joint Home Isolation

Originally, infectious diseases classified as Level 1, such as COVID-19, are supposed to be treated in separate isolation facilities. However, considering clinical characteristics, many patients recover without special treatment, leading to calls for establishing a self-treatment system similar to other countries. After a certain period post-infection, the likelihood of transmission significantly decreases, and many pediatric and young patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, reducing the need to consume medical resources.

However, even children with chronic pulmonary diseases such as asthma, hemodynamic heart disease, immunocompromised status, chronic metabolic diseases, premature birth, cognitive disabilities, spinal cord injuries, genetic abnormalities, or respiratory function or secretion clearance impairments are excluded. Children who have no apparent symptoms but do not meet the criteria for release from isolation can also receive self-treatment.

Adults can also undergo self-treatment. If an adult has a child under 12 who requires care and the adult is not in a high-risk group, self-treatment is possible. High-risk groups include those aged 65 or older, patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease, individuals with severe obesity, pregnant women, dialysis patients, smokers, and hospitalized patients requiring early oxygen therapy. Joint self-treatment is also possible when both the pediatric child and parent are confirmed positive and no other guardian is available to provide care.

Caravans used as temporary COVID-19 residential treatment centers have been installed at the KINTEX campground in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. Goyang City has been operating safe accommodations to provide self-isolation spaces for the families of confirmed cases.
/Goyang=Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

However, even if more than two pediatric patients are confirmed positive, only one guardian is allowed as a rule. If more than one guardian is needed, consultation with the public health center is required. If the guardian becomes infected and must be hospitalized or admitted to a facility, the pediatric patient must be admitted or isolated in the facility together with the guardian, or a new guardian must be designated.

If the guardian or co-isolator is not a confirmed patient, they must remain in isolation for an additional 14 days after the pediatric patient's self-treatment period ends. This is based on the judgment that the guardian should be managed as a close contact since they were with the child until just before the child's release from isolation. If a child has undergone self-treatment for COVID-19, the parent must have the child tested at the time of the child's release from isolation and remain in isolation for two weeks to monitor for infection. After completing the two-week self-isolation, another diagnostic test must be conducted before release.

Even when choosing self-treatment, it is possible to receive paid leave benefits or living support funds from the government, similar to hospitalization or admission to a residential treatment center. Only one of these benefits can be received. To prepare for emergencies, local governments have been instructed to establish transport and medical care systems in advance. Medications can be prescribed through telephone or proxy prescriptions or by medical staff within dedicated teams monitoring health.

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