Government to Announce 'COVID Risk Indicators' on the 18th... "Separate Emergency Plan"

"Comprehensive Assessment Using Multiple Indicators, Not Just One"
Severe Patient Bed Occupancy Rate in the Seoul Metropolitan Area Surpasses 78%

On the morning of the 11th, citizens are waiting to get tested for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at the screening clinic of Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] The quarantine authorities will announce new indicators to assess the risk level of COVID-19 under the phased daily recovery (With Corona) system on the 18th.

Previously, the government stated that it would manage the COVID-19 situation focusing not on confirmed cases but on the number of critically ill patients and deaths. It also said that if confirmed cases surge unexpectedly or if the number of critically ill patients and deaths increases significantly, it would activate an "emergency plan" (circuit breaker) to temporarily suspend the implementation of daily recovery.

On the 15th, Ko Jae-young, spokesperson for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said at the Central Disease Control Headquarters briefing, "The KDCA received feedback through an expert advisory meeting last weekend regarding the COVID-19 risk assessment criteria," adding, "It will be reported to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) on the 17th, followed by guidance to local governments, and announced on the 18th."

He continued, "Using the newly revised indicators, we plan to conduct and announce COVID-19 risk assessments starting next week."

This means that based on the new COVID-19 risk assessment indicators, the CDSCH will announce under what circumstances the situation can be considered 'risky,' that is, when the emergency plan will be activated.

Spokesperson Ko said, "The contents of the emergency plan measures will not be based on a single indicator but will be comprehensively considered by multiple review indicators, and the CDSCH will announce them after consulting the Daily Recovery Support Committee."

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, is holding a regular briefing on COVID-19 response at the Government Complex Sejong on the 10th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Recently, as the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients has increased and the utilization rate of severe care beds has risen, there are speculations that the timing for activating the emergency plan is approaching.

According to the Central Accident Response Headquarters (CARH) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 15th, as of 5 p.m. the previous day (14th), the utilization rate of COVID-19 dedicated severe patient beds in the metropolitan area including Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi was 76.4%, meaning only 162 out of 687 total severe patient beds in the metropolitan area remain available. Nationwide, the utilization rate of severe patient beds is also 62.1% (699 out of 1,125 beds in use), indicating that bed capacity is not sufficient.

In response, the CDSCH stated that it will comprehensively determine whether to implement the emergency plan according to the COVID-19 epidemic situation. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at CARH, said, "The emergency plan will not be reviewed solely based on indicator issues but will be decided by comprehensively evaluating the situation."

Son added, "The emergency plan will analyze the epidemic situation within the four directions of the phased daily recovery plan and devise appropriate measures accordingly," emphasizing, "It does not predefine the activation of any specific emergency plan in advance."

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