[Report] One Reservation at Local Clinic... 10 Pharmacies Sold Out of Test Kits

Still Crowding Selective Testing Sites
Full-Scale Treatment Expected Next Week
"Don't Know When Kits Will Arrive"

On the 3rd, citizens lined up at a temporary screening clinic in front of Seoul City Hall as the COVID-19 testing method changed. The general public will primarily receive rapid antigen tests using self-test kits instead of the conventional PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests. Alternatively, professional rapid antigen tests can be conducted at local clinics such as respiratory specialty clinics. Although the accuracy is lower than PCR, this measure aims to meet the increasing demand for testing due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy reporters Kwanju Lee and Youngwon Kim] "After the holiday ended, I felt uneasy, so I came out to get tested first. I didn't expect there to be this many people."

At around 9:30 a.m. on the 3rd, at the temporary COVID-19 screening site set up in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Even before the testing site officially opened at 10 a.m., over 100 citizens were already lined up for more than 100 meters waiting to get tested. Despite the minus 5 degrees Celsius weather, citizens tightly buttoned their coats to endure the cold. Mr. Lee (38, Bangi-dong), who had been waiting for an hour, said, "My company told me to get tested before coming to work, but I couldn't find a self-test kit, so I came to the testing site first," adding, "I knew there were many confirmed cases, but I didn't expect it to be this bad."

As the COVID-19 prevention system was drastically changed to focus on neighborhood clinics and hospitals in response to Omicron, confusion arose in many medical sites. Screening sites were still crowded with citizens waiting to get tested, and pharmacies experienced shortages of self-test kits. On that morning, visiting about ten pharmacies in Songpa-gu, Gangdong-gu, and Jongno-gu areas, none had self-test kits available. One pharmacist said, "They have been in short supply since before the Lunar New Year holiday, and now they are completely out," adding, "I need to check today, but I don't know when more will arrive."

Other pharmacies also said, "It seems difficult to get them for the time being." It is equally difficult to purchase self-test kits online. One seller posted a notice saying supplies might only be available after the 7th.

It appears that it will take time for the restructured Omicron response system, centered on ‘respiratory treatment designated medical institutions’ that diagnose and treat COVID-19, to settle in. On this day, 734 medical institutions started COVID-19 treatment, including 391 existing respiratory clinics and 343 neighborhood clinics and hospitals that expressed willingness to participate. Since a total of 1,004 institutions have applied so far, the number of medical institutions handling COVID-19 will increase, but after preparations such as separating patient flow and partitioning areas, full-scale treatment is expected to begin next week.

At neighborhood clinics visited on this day, actual diagnostic testing cases were few. A representative from an otolaryngology clinic in Jongno-gu said, "We operate a reservation system to avoid overlapping patient flow with vaccinated individuals, and only one person made a reservation today," adding, "We expect the number of patients to increase and are preparing accordingly."

A representative from a participating clinic said, "The current system was introduced as a measure to prepare for a significant increase in patients in the future," adding, "There are voices saying it was late, but it is positive that the transition was made even now, and if the number of patients increases further, more clinics and hospitals will participate."

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