Minister Kwon Deok-cheol of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, "Preparing for Endemic According to Omicron Characteristics"

After peaking in mid-March, gradual recovery of daily life will be promoted
Additional pediatric medical institutions and pediatric counseling centers established

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare, predicted that if the recent Omicron surge passes its peak by mid-March and shifts to a decline, it would be possible to promote a return to normal life. Regarding criticism that the government's recent messages raising expectations for the transition of COVID-19 to an endemic phase are not cautious enough, he stated, "We are responding according to the characteristics of the Omicron variant."

At an online press briefing held remotely on the morning of the 24th, Minister Kwon said, "(Omicron) has not yet reached the peak of the outbreak, but there were criticisms that relaxed messages were coming from the government," adding, "Other countries showed a decline after reaching the peak. Since these characteristics of Omicron have been revealed worldwide, we are responding accordingly."

As the government announced its policy to ease quarantine measures such as social distancing once the Omicron wave passes its peak, there were criticisms that this was 'political quarantine' ahead of the presidential election on the 9th of next month, to which he responded. Minister Kwon said, "It seems to be related to the timing of the presidential election, but preparations for Omicron had been underway before that, and we are proceeding accordingly."

He also emphasized that since Omicron is highly transmissible but has lower severity and fatality rates, a different response from the previous Delta variant is necessary. Minister Kwon said, "Because the characteristics of Omicron have been revealed, even if the quarantine authorities issue conservative messages, the public tends not to follow them fully," and urged, "Omicron still has a much higher fatality rate than the flu, so please participate in vaccination."

Regarding the timing of the endemic transition, he said, "We hope it happens soon, but experts analyze that the peak will be reached by mid-March," adding, "Around that time, as the trend shifts to a decline, I think we will gradually move toward a return to normal life suited to Omicron's characteristics." However, he called some claims that many people need to be infected to form herd immunity "a very dangerous idea," adding, "Unlike other countries, our country is trying to suppress confirmed cases to the maximum while moving toward normal life."

On the possibility of additional variant viruses emerging, he said, "As far as I know, there have been no reports of rapid mutations yet," and added, "The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) are analyzing the risk of variants, and we will respond accordingly if expert reports are received."

Regarding the timing of revising quarantine measures such as social distancing and the vaccine pass, Minister Kwon responded, "As the number of patients continues to increase and medical responses are made accordingly, if the severity and mortality rates remain stable, we will prepare exit strategies such as revising social distancing." However, he noted that ending all quarantine measures and returning to normal life is not yet possible, saying, "It is still too early to declare the end of COVID-19 to terminate quarantine."

In response to the recent increase in confirmed cases among children and adolescents and growing concerns about confirmed cases in infants under one year old, including newborns, he announced plans to expand pediatric emergency centers. Pediatric patients requiring hospitalization will be managed at designated pediatric medical institutions (864 beds), and the currently three pediatric emergency centers will be further expanded.

Minister Kwon said, "In the case of infants, if proper measures are not taken in emergency situations, their health can worsen or they may suffer aftereffects," adding, "(For pediatric patients under home treatment) pediatric specialists will manage them during the day, and the pediatric counseling center will manage them at night to ensure infants are immediately transferred to hospitals for treatment."

Regarding criticism that the Ministry of Education's quarantine measures, such as mandating twice-weekly self-test kits for students ahead of the March school reopening, are inconsistent with quarantine authorities, he replied, "There is no discord between ministries." He explained that since kindergarten and elementary school students are not eligible for vaccination, discretion was given to each metropolitan and provincial office of education to prevent family cluster infections according to local circumstances.

Meanwhile, concerning the ruling issued the previous day in Daegu suspending the effectiveness of the vaccine pass for restaurants and cafes for those under 60, he stated that they are reviewing an immediate appeal together with Daegu City. Minister Kwon said, "Restaurants and cafes are places where masks are removed and conversations take place, so there is a vaccine pass and operating hour restrictions," adding, "Since the vaccine pass has been suspended in several local governments, once the situation stabilizes to some extent, we will review it along with social distancing and other measures."

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