Reviewing the Transition of Testing System for Omicron... "PCR Tests Mainly for High-Risk Groups"

'Asymptomatic Individuals Should Use Self-Test Kits' for Universal and Complementary Implementation

On the 5th, medical staff were busy working at Hyemin Hospital in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, a designated COVID-19 base hospital. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Ahead of the Omicron COVID-19 variant becoming the dominant strain in South Korea, health authorities announced plans to change the testing system to efficiently allocate resources such as testing capacity.

On the morning of the 7th, Lee Gi-il, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "Epidemiological investigations will be streamlined by selecting and focusing on groups with high risk of infection and transmission."

PCR Testing Prioritized for High-Risk Groups... Asymptomatic Individuals to Use Self-Test Kits

The Omicron variant, expected to become dominant in February, is known to spread 2 to 3 times faster than the Delta variant but has a severity rate about one-third that of Delta. If community spread intensifies, the existing virus testing system may face significant limitations.

Controller Lee said, "We will prioritize diagnostic testing. We will quickly conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests starting with those who have a high likelihood of infection," adding, "because if many patients occur, it will not be possible to test everyone." PCR testing will focus on high-risk groups such as the elderly and patients with underlying conditions in nursing hospitals and care facilities.

For asymptomatic individuals, the use of rapid antigen tests, i.e., self-test kits, is being considered as a general and supplementary measure. The plan is to first test with self-test kits, and if positive, follow up with PCR testing. However, due to somewhat lower accuracy, these kits are expected to be used only at a "supplementary level."

Park Hyang, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters' quarantine team, explained, "(Among close contacts) unvaccinated elderly or those with underlying conditions will be quickly tested with PCR to confirm and take action, while asymptomatic or mild cases will undergo rapid testing and if negative, can self-isolate," adding, "If symptoms persist as asymptomatic or mild, testing will only be done at the final release from isolation, with PCR testing again if symptoms appear in the meantime."

Controller Lee said, "We will proceed in consultation with related ministries," and mentioned that self-test kits may be used supplementarily not only in nursing facilities but also in daycare centers, elementary, middle, and high schools, and universities.

"COVID-19 Trend Stabilizing... Risk Factors Remain for Starting Normalization"

While health authorities say the COVID-19 outbreak is stabilizing, they remain cautious about returning to normal life. Controller Lee stated, "(New) confirmed cases are more than double compared to November 1 last year (1,664 cases), with 3,717 cases as of midnight on the 7th, and the number of severe cases is 2 to 3 times higher (839 cases)," adding, "To move forward with normalization, the current downward trend must accelerate further, and the scale of the outbreak and number of severe cases must be reduced more."

Meanwhile, the proportion of confirmed cases among those aged 60 and over, which had risen to 35%, has dropped significantly to 15% due to increased booster vaccination rates. Hospital bed occupancy has returned to early normalization levels. As of this date, the intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy rate is 53.0%. There are 1,754 ICU beds in operation, 671 more than at the time of the phased normalization in November last year. Dedicated ICU beds and infectious disease hospitals number 1,826 and approximately 14,900 respectively, increasing by 1,371 and about 4,900 beds each.

Controller Lee said, "Bed occupancy rates are also recovering to early normalization levels," and pledged to secure additional beds to handle "10,000 confirmed cases" by the end of January. Regarding the current social distancing measures extended until the 16th, he said, "We will gather opinions through the Normalization Committee next week and make decisions again considering various factors," adding, "We will make gradual decisions while monitoring medical response capacity."

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