Gwanak-gu Provides 200,000 Free Rapid Antigen Test Kits for Daycare Centers and Pregnant Women

Approximately 44,000 Individuals Including Daycare Center and Elderly Welfare Facility Users, Persons with Disabilities, Pregnant Women, and Basic Livelihood Security Recipients

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) will provide rapid antigen test self-diagnosis kits free of charge to COVID-19 vulnerable groups.

This is to support rapid testing by distributing self-diagnosis kits to high-risk individuals as the importance of preemptive testing has increased due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant virus.

The district plans to sequentially provide 200,000 test kits by the end of this month to about 44,000 vulnerable people, including infants and teachers at daycare centers, users of elderly welfare facilities, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and basic livelihood security recipients, with a budget of approximately 470 million KRW.

Considering the rapid spread of Omicron, kits will be prioritized for distribution to daycare centers and elderly welfare facility users, who have low immunity levels and are easily exposed to infection risks due to group living.

From the 4th week of February for 6 weeks, 7,014 infants enrolled in daycare centers will receive 2 kits per week, totaling 12 kits, and 1,953 childcare teachers will receive 1 kit per week for 4 weeks starting from the 2nd week of March, totaling 4 kits.

As of March 4, test kits have been distributed to 177 elderly welfare facilities, and 3,612 residents and users of these facilities will be promptly provided with 3 kits each.

Pregnant women, totaling 2,547, will be sequentially provided with 10 kits each by March 31. Pregnant women wishing to receive test kits should visit their local community service center with documents verifying pregnancy and identification. Spouses, direct ascendants, and siblings can receive kits on their behalf by presenting documents proving family relationships.

Users of facilities for people with disabilities, numbering 151, will receive 3 kits each through welfare facilities in the 3rd week of March, and about 3,800 people with severe disabilities will receive 2 kits each at community service centers in the 5th week of March.

Additionally, about 25,000 basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty groups not using welfare facilities will receive 2 kits each at community service centers in the 5th week of March, and 41 users of homeless shelters will receive 3 kits each through their facilities.

A district official said, “With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, swift screening and response are more important than ever. We expect that supporting rapid antigen test kits will help prevent the spread of infection. We will continue to do our best to protect our residents safely from COVID-19.”

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