Confirmed cases near 40,000... Rapid Antigen Tests at 779 Local Clinics from the 7th

Confirmed on the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service website
Government plans to expand to 4,000 locations in the future

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] Since the transition to the Omicron variant response quarantine system on the 3rd, about 800 local clinics and hospitals have started COVID-19 testing. The government plans to expand the number of participating local clinics to about 4,000 in the future.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 6th, from the 7th, rapid antigen tests will be available at 779 designated respiratory treatment medical institutions (local clinics). As of the 5th, there were 403 respiratory specialized clinics and 482 local clinics where rapid antigen tests were possible.

Respiratory specialized clinics, which are fully equipped with infection control measures such as negative pressure facilities and separated patient flow, are expected to have 431 participating institutions, with the remaining 28 clinics scheduled to start operations sequentially within this month. As of the 5th, a total of 1,938 local clinics have expressed their intention to participate. The government plans to gradually expand this to about 4,000 clinics. The lists of respiratory specialized clinics and local clinics capable of testing can be checked on the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service and the COVID-19 website.

Previously, the government transitioned the COVID-19 testing and treatment system to effectively diagnose and treat high-risk groups in preparation for an exponential increase in confirmed cases due to Omicron. General individuals, excluding high-risk groups such as those aged 60 and over and epidemiologically linked persons, will receive rapid antigen tests if COVID-19 symptoms are suspected. Only those who test positive on the rapid antigen test will undergo PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing.

The government explains that this system transition is essential to focus on the diagnosis and treatment of high-risk groups with a high risk of severe illness and death in situations where confirmed cases increase significantly.

However, as the number of home treatment patients rapidly increases due to the surge in confirmed cases, expanding treatment infrastructure is urgent. As of midnight on this day, the number of home treatment patients is 128,716. This is 79.0% of the maximum capacity of 163,000 patients that 532 home treatment medical institutions can manage. The government is reducing the monitoring frequency of home treatment patients from three times a day to one to two times and encouraging local clinics to participate in home treatment management, but there are concerns about future overload of the medical system.

Amid this situation, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases is breaking records daily. As of midnight on this day, the number of new confirmed cases was 38,691, with the cumulative confirmed cases exceeding 1 million. The total number of confirmed cases counted by local governments from midnight to 9 p.m. on this day was 27,710. Surpassing the previous record for the same time period set the day before, the number of confirmed cases to be announced tomorrow is likely to set an all-time high.

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