[Desk Column] Time Made by Sacrifice Must Not Be Wasted

The first case of infection with the new COVID-19 variant, the Omicron virus, was detected on the 1st of this month. Since then, the Omicron variant has rapidly spread across the country. After one month, on the 31st, the cumulative number of Omicron confirmed cases reached 894. The situation in various countries overseas is very severe. In the United States, there were 480,000 new cases in a single day, and countries like the United Kingdom and France are also reporting around 200,000 new cases daily. Approximately 90% of these cases are identified as Omicron infections. The transmissibility of Omicron is truly explosive.

At the beginning of this month, there was some hope that "Omicron could be a Christmas gift." Despite its strong transmissibility, it was expected that its toxicity might be weaker than the existing Delta variant, making coexistence with COVID-19 possible. The problem is "time." If the number of confirmed cases multiplies several times within a short period, even if the toxicity is halved, the existing medical system would struggle to cope. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that over the next four weeks, COVID-related deaths in the U.S. alone could reach 44,000?a number comparable to the annual deaths caused by influenza. The aviation crisis in the U.S. was directly influenced by pilots and air traffic controllers being infected with Omicron. The shock affects not only the healthcare system but also the economy.

Our government is responding to Omicron by increasing hospital beds and expanding medical personnel. However, frontline healthcare workers unanimously say that this will be "grossly insufficient." Converting existing hospital beds into COVID-19 patient beds reduces the space available for general medical patients. For emergency patients, this is a life-or-death issue. Since it is difficult to secure medical personnel overnight, detailed plans must be prepared on how to deploy staff during emergencies. Extensive preparations are needed to ensure proper supply of medical materials when the number of self-quarantined patients exceeds 100,000, and to confirm whether there are enough ambulances to transport patients to hospitals. Currently, there are reports that self-quarantined individuals find it difficult even to get through to public health centers by phone.

The situation was similar when the Delta variant began to enter the country. On April 18th, the first Delta variant case was confirmed domestically, but the government said, "It is not a level to be concerned about," and instead focused on promoting the "K-quarantine." At that time, the number of sequential infections per day in Korea was only a few, while in countries like the U.S. and Germany, Delta spread rapidly enough to become the dominant strain. It took about 2 to 3 months for Delta to become dominant in Korea. If preparations for hospital beds and medical personnel had been made in advance for the worst-case scenario, the number of deaths in Korea could have been significantly reduced.

It is only a matter of time before Omicron becomes the dominant strain in Korea. However, there is still some time left. This time was created by the dedication of our citizens. People actively participated in vaccination and did not remove masks in public places. Numerous self-employed individuals followed quarantine guidelines even at the cost of their livelihoods. The government must not waste this time. There must never again be a situation where citizens die while waiting for an ambulance or waiting at home for their turn to be hospitalized.

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