Seoul City "641 Cases Confirmed Using Self-Test Kits... Continuing to Consider Utilization Plans"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that COVID-19 self-test kits are quickly identifying hidden infected individuals.

On the 18th, Park Yumi, Seoul's quarantine controller, stated in a briefing, "There have been 641 confirmed cases using self-test kits so far," adding, "We are continuously considering the scope of using self-test kits as an auxiliary tool for PCR testing."

She also revealed plans to systematically manage vulnerable facilities with high risks of group outbreaks by selecting them as target groups.

Controller Park explained, "If symptoms voluntarily appear, the self-test kit is used immediately, and based on the results, a PCR test is conducted. It is necessary to use the kits periodically and repeatedly in places with high risks of group outbreaks, and there are many opinions that systematic management of testing is needed, so we will consider selecting vulnerable facilities that meet the conditions."

However, she expressed a cautious stance regarding full-scale implementation. She said, "Given the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the low vaccination rate, full-scale implementation is not appropriate," adding, "We will carefully review it according to the quarantine situation."

Earlier, Seoul proposed to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education a plan to provide self-test kits to households with elementary, middle, and high school students. Regarding this, Seoul responded, "As of now, the target, period, and budget have not been specifically confirmed."

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