[Q&A] Self Home Treatment Starts Today... Prepare Fever Medicine and Thermometer in Advance

Treatment Divided into Intensive Care Group and General Care Group
Intensive Care Group, Health Monitoring Twice a Day
General Care Group, Remote Consultation Without Monitoring When Symptoms Worsen

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] From the 10th, the COVID-19 home treatment system will change. The main point is to divide patients into intensive care groups and general care groups for treatment. Since most Omicron infections are mild or asymptomatic, this measure focuses limited medical resources on high-risk groups.

The intensive care group will continue to receive health checks twice a day, while the general care group will receive non-face-to-face medical treatment on their own if symptoms worsen. Here is a summary of the changes to COVID-19 home treatment starting from this day.

-How are the intensive care group and general care group divided?

▲ The intensive care group includes those aged 60 and over and those eligible for oral COVID-19 antiviral treatments, as determined by each local government to require intensive management. Accordingly, people in their 50s with underlying conditions and immunocompromised individuals are also included in the intensive care group. Underlying conditions include diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease (including asthma), cancer, and overweight (BMI 25 or higher).

The intensive care group receives a home treatment kit containing fever reducers, thermometers, oxygen saturation meters, disinfectants for cleaning, and self-test kits, and their assigned medical institution monitors their health twice daily as before. Oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid is prescribed if necessary.

All confirmed cases other than the intensive care group belong to the general care group. The government estimates that among new confirmed cases, 76.5% will be classified as general care group and 13.5% as intensive care group.

-How does the general care group receive medical treatment?

▲ The general care group must manage their health at home by themselves. If symptoms worsen and medical treatment is needed, they can call nearby hospitals or clinics, respiratory designated medical institutions, or respiratory specialized clinics to receive non-face-to-face medical treatment. If desired, they can receive non-face-to-face treatment at their usual hospital or clinic, but prior confirmation is necessary. At night, they can also call the 24-hour 'Home Care Support Counseling Center' operated by each local government. In urgent situations where the counseling center cannot be reached, they can call 119 to get an ambulance to the hospital. Additionally, if necessary, they can visit outpatient treatment centers for tests, treatments, surgeries, and other medical services. The general care group can be prescribed medications to relieve symptoms but cannot receive Paxlovid as they are not eligible for oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment.

A list of hospitals and clinics that provide non-face-to-face treatment and prescriptions will be posted on the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service website. Contact information for the Home Care Support Counseling Center will be provided by public health centers and later published on each local government’s website.

-What should the general care group prepare in advance?

▲ The general care group does not receive a home treatment kit. Therefore, it is advisable to keep fever reducers on hand and have a thermometer to monitor body temperature. However, if respiratory symptoms appear, it is useful to contact a nearby medical institution for telephone consultation.

-How are pregnant women and pediatric confirmed cases in the general care group treated?

▲ Pediatric confirmed cases can call their frequently visited pediatric or adolescent clinics to receive consultations up to twice a day. They can also receive non-face-to-face treatment from pediatricians through the Home Care Support Counseling Center.

Pregnant women can receive telephone consultations from their regular obstetrics and gynecology clinics, and if delivery or preterm labor is a concern, a separate hospital track and medical system are in place to manage these cases.

-How are medications received?

▲ Prescribed medications for home treatment patients are dispensed only at about 500 designated pharmacies nationwide, and patients must receive their medications there. It is standard for a confirmed patient's cohabiting family member to pick up the medication, but if proxy pickup is difficult, the designated pharmacy may deliver the medication.

The list of designated pharmacies is not yet available online. The government plans to announce this soon and is also considering expanding the number of designated pharmacies depending on the scale of home treatment patients.

-How do cohabitants of home treatment patients live?

▲ Those who have completed vaccination (14 to 90 days after the second dose or those who have received the third dose) do not need to quarantine. They can continue daily life but should contact the public health center if any abnormalities occur. However, unvaccinated individuals must quarantine with the home treatment patient for 7 days.

-When does home treatment end?

▲ The home treatment period lasts for 7 days from the date of the COVID-19 test. The public health center does not provide separate notification before the quarantine ends. There is no need to undergo a PCR test before release.

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