Home Treatment Soon Reaches 1 Million... "Family Infections Increase, Making Home Treatment Risky"

Around 170,000 COVID-19 Cases
Over 650,000 Receiving Home Treatment
Increased Family Transmission Risk Due to Infant and Child Infections
Health Center Work Overload Causes Delays in Case Notification and Classification

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The number of new COVID-19 cases has remained around 170,000 for three consecutive days, pushing the number of patients under home treatment beyond 650,000. Although the home treatment system was reorganized on the 10th to respond to the highly transmissible but less fatal Omicron variant, concerns about blind spots in the field continue to be raised. It is expected that the number of home treatment patients will soon exceed one million, which is likely to increase confusion on the ground.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 25th, as of midnight, 165,890 new confirmed cases were added, bringing the total to 2,665,077. The number of patients under home treatment rose by 62,483 from 587,698 the previous day to 650,181. Compared to a week ago on the 18th (351,695), the number of home treatment patients has nearly doubled. At this rate, it is likely to increase to over one million next week.

Emergency of 'Family Transmission' Including Infants and Young Children

With the surge in home treatment patients, family transmission due to infections among infants and young children has become a critical issue. It is difficult to separate living spaces during home treatment, and it is common for parents to become infected while caring for infants and young children. The health authorities estimate that the secondary attack rate within families for the Omicron variant could reach 30-40%.

Lee (48), an office worker living in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said that after his 10-year-old daughter tested positive for COVID-19, he, his wife, and their 7-year-old second child were sequentially confirmed positive. The eldest child has already been released from isolation, but his wife and second child entered isolation again from the 23rd. Lee said, "Since we are in the general management group, when my second child’s fever rose to 40.3 degrees Celsius on the first night of isolation, we had no choice but to endure it with fever reducers," adding, "The government calls it home treatment, but it is questionable whether it can be called treatment when emergency room visits and face-to-face consultations are difficult."

Moreover, concerns are growing as infants under home treatment have been dying one after another. In Yecheon-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, a 6-year-old girl under home treatment was transferred to a hospital on the 20th due to abdominal and chest pain but died on the 22nd. In Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, a 4-month-old infant died during home treatment.

There is also great anxiety after isolation is lifted. Even if symptoms do not improve, there is nowhere to seek help once isolation ends. Park (37), living in Pyeongtaek, was diagnosed positive on the 14th and took a week’s worth of medication through face-to-face consultation, but symptoms did not improve. When he asked the public health center if there were any treatment options such as admission to a living treatment center due to lack of improvement, the only response was, "You are no longer a management target." Park said, "I am not symptom-free and still test positive, so I cannot be sure if I am no longer contagious," adding, "I cannot go to work, cannot receive treatment, and the public health center does not help find a hospital, so it is frustrating."

Public Health Centers Already Overloaded

As confirmed cases surge, there are many cases where notification and classification of COVID-19 confirmations are delayed due to the overload of public health centers depending on local governments. Public health center staff responsible for basic epidemiological investigations are already on the verge of exhaustion. On the 18th, an employee working in the COVID-19 emergency patient management team at Giheung Public Health Center collapsed from overwork and was transported to a hospital.

As classification delays cause delays in home treatment, the government is guiding that even if a confirmed COVID-19 patient is not assigned as a home treatment target after notification, telephone consultation and prescription are possible if medical care is needed. From the 28th, central government officials will also be assigned to support screening investigations such as basic epidemiological investigations and text message dispatch. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the same day, "It is urgent to reduce the excessive burden on public health centers at the forefront of quarantine," and "From March 1, isolation of cohabiting family members will be switched to passive monitoring, but periodic testing is recommended to prevent the spread of infection."

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