Prime Minister Kim: "Capital Region Faces Urgent Situation Requiring Consideration of Emergency Plan Activation" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City on the morning of the 24th. 2021.11.24
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum recently stated on the 24th regarding the spread of COVID-19, "If we look only at the metropolitan area, it is an urgent situation where we must consider activating the emergency plan at any time."

On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Kim presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Sejong and said, "It has been four weeks since we started the phased recovery of daily life, and it is time to consider whether to move to the next phase, but the quarantine situation is more serious than expected."

He reminded that in the risk assessment announced by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 22nd, the nationwide level was 'high' and the metropolitan area was 'very high,' repeatedly emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.

The number of confirmed cases has already surpassed the previous highest record of 3,292 cases on the 18th.

Prime Minister Kim said, "The urgent task is to restore the medical response capacity in the metropolitan area, including intensive care unit beds," and pointed out, "Home treatment is a major pillar of medical response supporting the phased recovery of daily life, but it has not yet been properly established in the field."

He expressed concern, saying, "Last week, the proportion of home-treated patients fell below 20%, and it even decreased compared to the previous week. If mild or asymptomatic patients occupy hospital beds indiscriminately, patients who actually need intensive care will not even be able to come to the hospital and their lives will be threatened." He continued, "The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and the Central Disease Control Headquarters should comprehensively reevaluate the current patient classification and bed management system and focus on swiftly reorganizing our medical response system to be 'home treatment-centered.'"

Prime Minister Kim also emphasized, "Even in regions outside the metropolitan area, we must prepare in advance for any sudden surge in confirmed cases," and reiterated, "We must expand and establish home treatment early with a mindset of being prepared for any contingency."

Additionally, among confirmed cases aged 60 and over in the past two weeks, the vaccination rate has already exceeded 80%, showing that the effectiveness of vaccination for the elderly is rapidly declining. Prime Minister Kim encouraged, "The additional vaccination is not 'additional' but an extension of the 'basic' vaccination," and urged, "Please actively participate with the understanding that the vaccination is only complete after the third dose."

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