"Omicron is a Completely New Virus... K-Quarantine Must Adapt Flexibly"

National Medical Center Central Clinical Committee 'New Infectious Disease Press Conference'
"We must consider how to manage the influx of patients due to Omicron spread"
"Even if less toxic than Delta... the third vaccine dose is essential"

The Central Clinical Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases held a press conference on the 12th at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. From left to right: Jin-Yong Lee, Director of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Research Institute; Myung-Don Oh, Chair of the Central Clinical Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases; Ki-Hyun Jung, Director of the National Medical Center; Jae-Hyun Jeon, Director of the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Center at the National Medical Center. Photo by Moohonam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Ahead of the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, domestic infectious disease experts unanimously agreed that the existing quarantine system must be significantly changed. Unlike the original COVID-19 virus, the Omicron variant has lower severity but a rapid transmission rate, which could lead to a surge in confirmed cases. Therefore, the focus should shift from blocking transmission to patient management.

On the morning of the 12th, the Central Clinical Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases (Central Clinical Committee) of the National Medical Center held a press conference on the response to the new infectious disease (Omicron) at the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, and announced this.

Jung Ki-hyun, director of the National Medical Center, said, "It seems that the Omicron variant will become the dominant strain in less than a month," adding, "If we improve K-quarantine well and gain public cooperation to respond to Omicron, we will be able to see the end of COVID-19."

"Omicron cases will surge... K-quarantine must be flexibly changed"

Experts demanded a major transformation of the medical response system to match Omicron. While high-level quarantine measures to block virus transmission were appropriate in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, now that the transmission method is well understood and vaccines and treatments are available, a different approach is needed.

Jeon Jaehyun, head of the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Center at the National Medical Center, said, "(Although Omicron variant) symptoms are mild, if the total number of infected people is large, the medical burden can increase," and emphasized, "Ultimately, we need to consider how to manage patients who may increase as the total number of infected people rises."

Oh Myung-don, chairman of the Central Clinical Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases, also suggested, "We need to flexibly change the strict K-quarantine standards and incorporate COVID-19 treatment into the existing medical service system." Since Omicron spreads too quickly to be managed by existing quarantine and medical response methods, the goal of quarantine should shift from transmission prevention to minimizing damage and maintaining social functions.

Chairman Oh stated, "There will be so many patients that existing hospital beds, medical personnel, and supplies will not be sufficient," adding, "To allocate limited resources, a solid system that citizens, medical staff, and the government can follow must be established first." He continued, "As the Omicron outbreak worsens, more medical staff will be unable to work or will be quarantined. Like in the U.S., the quarantine period may have to be shortened to 5 days, or the quarantine barriers lowered."

"Third vaccine dose is essential"

However, experts also emphasized the necessity of vaccines such as the third dose. Chairman Oh said, "Based on studies from South Africa, Canada, and the UK, it is certain that the toxicity of the Omicron variant is lower than that of the Delta variant," but "it is necessary to follow the vaccination guidelines set by the government."

He urged, "Especially for those aged 60 and over, or those with underlying conditions who have not yet been vaccinated or are delaying the third dose, completing vaccination quickly is important to overcome this critical period."

Director Jeon also explained the effect of additional vaccine doses. According to research conducted on early Omicron variant infected patients, neutralizing antibodies against Omicron were low in those who only received the basic COVID-19 vaccination, whereas the antibody levels increased about 100 times on average after the third dose.

Director Jeon said, "Six months after only the basic COVID-19 vaccination, neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron were low regardless of age," adding, "Booster shots can increase neutralizing antibodies."

"Long COVID symptoms more common in high-risk groups and low-income populations"

Meanwhile, 'Long COVID' symptoms that persist for a long time after COVID-19 infection appeared more frequently in vulnerable groups. Lee Jinyong, director of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Research Institute, explained the results of a study on sequelae in domestic COVID-19 confirmed patients, stating, "COVID-19 patients with more medical benefits and higher comorbidity indices were the high-risk group."

The complication rate among COVID-19 patients was 19.1%, which was not higher than the 28.5% seen in flu patients. However, the incidence rates of hair loss, heart failure, mood disorders, and dementia were somewhat higher. COVID-19 complications were more common in those aged 20-44, medical benefit recipients, and patients with severe complications such as pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, and heart failure, as well as elderly and those with multiple comorbidities.

Director Lee added, "Since COVID-19 complications are not numerous, if the fatality rate of COVID-19 can be lowered through vaccination, management strategies can be changed to be like those for the flu."

Jeon Jae-hyun, Director of the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Center at the National Medical Center, is speaking about the Omicron variant at a press conference of the Central Clinical Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases held on the 12th at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

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