US FDA: "Korea's Strategic Success in Controlling COVID-19 Spread"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that "Korea's strategy has been globally recognized for successfully suppressing the spread of COVID-19" regarding the Korean government's diagnostic testing achievements after the COVID-19 outbreak.

On the 25th (local time), the FDA made this announcement through a report titled "Korea's COVID-19 Response."

This report, which intensively analyzed the Korean government's development, approval, and use related to COVID-19 diagnostic testing, explained the purpose of the report by stating, "Korea's experience can be useful information for future considerations, so we reviewed media coverage related to COVID-19 response strategies and information disclosed by Korea."

However, the FDA drew a line by stating, "Acknowledging that different approaches may work in different countries, this report does not recommend which approaches should or could be adopted in the U.S. to respond to emerging infectious diseases."

The report diagnosed that the Korean government's COVID-19 approach is based on lessons learned from the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak.

It then specifically introduced the efforts Korea made to prepare for infectious diseases after experiencing the MERS outbreak.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The report first described that the Korean government invested heavily in the commercial use of infectious disease diagnostic technology.

Since 2017, the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT has invested nearly 27 billion KRW in infectious disease diagnostic testing technology. As a result, private companies were able to quickly develop and manufacture infectious disease diagnostic devices, the report noted.

The report also included that Korea introduced the 'Emergency Use Authorization' system for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, modeled after the U.S.

The report mentioned that the Korean legislature amended the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act in 2015, granting authorities the power to collect personal information of confirmed and suspected infected individuals during emergencies.

Investment in diagnostic testing technology and institutional support played a crucial role in Korea's early response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Korea developed COVID-19 diagnostic kits in January last year, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) encouraged private companies to develop diagnostic kits through contact and support.

The report pointed out that the Korean government reduced financial risks by guaranteeing purchases from COVID-19 diagnostic test developers, whereas the U.S. government did not employ such a strategy at the time.

The KDCA's sufficient research facilities for private companies' diagnostic testing devices were also cited as a background for granting emergency use authorizations.

The report praised Korea for implementing large-scale infection tracking programs using credit card transaction information, CCTV, and other means.

Additionally, mask-wearing, social distancing, partial business suspension measures, and effective communication strategies were evaluated as factors that influenced Korea's suppression of COVID-19.

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