'Priority Recruitment for COVID-19 Treatment Participation Without Guidelines... Local Clinics in Confusion'

On the 25th, when the highest-ever number of 8,571 new COVID-19 cases was reported, the COVID-19 situation room monitor at Songpa District Office in Seoul displayed figures including confirmed cases and deaths. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

To prepare for a surge in confirmed cases due to the spread of the Omicron variant, health authorities have decided to shift the testing and treatment system so that COVID-19 testing, treatment, prescriptions, and home treatment management can all be conducted at local clinics and hospitals. However, there are concerns that confusion at the field level is increasing because guidelines such as movement separation have not been shared with primary medical institutions like local clinics and hospitals.

On the morning of the 25th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said in an interview with CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show,’ "As the number of confirmed cases increases, local clinics will inevitably have to provide treatment as well," adding, "We are currently recruiting clinics that wish to participate through incentives such as medical fees."

Starting from the 26th, the health authorities will prioritize applying the ‘Omicron Response Medical System’ in four regions where the Omicron variant is dominant?Gwangju, Jeonnam, Pyeongtaek, and Anseong?where non-high-risk groups will receive rapid antigen tests and related treatment at respiratory-specialized clinics. In these four regions operating under the Omicron response system, a total of 43 respiratory-specialized clinics are participating in the COVID-19 treatment system, including 8 clinics, 22 hospitals, and 13 general hospitals.

The issue lies in the potential contact with general patients visiting local clinics. Son said, "If many patients come to local clinics for COVID-19 testing, there is a concern about contact with other general patients," adding, "Depending on the building structure, some places may separate movement paths and entrances, or accept patients at different times."

Experts have expressed concerns that hospitals are experiencing confusion because the government has not yet established guidelines related to rapid antigen testing and monitoring of home treatment patients.

Professor Han Chang-hoon of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ilsan Hospital said, "If tens of thousands of patients appear daily due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, base hospitals will manage severe patients, and primary medical institutions such as local clinics will inevitably participate in treatment," diagnosing that "separating movement paths from general patients is key." He emphasized, "The real issue with primary medical institutions is that they have not treated COVID-19 patients before," adding, "Personal prevention measures, including mask-wearing, are important. Since such preparations are inevitably lacking, the government must clearly and promptly convey guidelines."

Professor Choi Jae-wook of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Korea University said, "If local clinics properly wear protective gear and provide treatment, infections can be sufficiently prevented. There is also research showing that using air purifiers to ventilate indoor spaces can reduce the risk of virus transmission," and criticized, "Guidelines utilizing these various methods should have been prepared and shared in advance, but I do not understand why preparations have been delayed repeatedly without being made earlier."

There are also calls for the government to clearly present compensation plans for participation in the treatment system to increase the participation rate of local clinics and hospitals. Professor Choi added, "Even if transmission issues arise due to visits by confirmed patients, the government should actively support medical institutions that participate in testing despite the infection risk," and "In addition to medical fees, there must be guarantees that hospitals will receive sufficient support if they have to close due to medical staff infections and suffer losses."

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