COVID-19 Infectious Disease Classification Downgraded... Expert Opinions to Be Gathered Next Week

Transition from Grade 1 to Grade 2... Internal Ministry Discussions Underway
Expert Opinions to Be Gathered Possibly Next Week
However, Downgrading Before Peak Unlikely to Proceed

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] As the government is discussing lowering the COVID-19 infectious disease classification from Level 1 to Level 2, it plans to gather expert opinions next week and review the future implementation schedule.

Jung Tong-ryeong, the head coordinator of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated during a back briefing on the afternoon of the 18th regarding the discussion on lowering the legal infectious disease classification of COVID-19, "Currently, it is at the stage of internal discussions within ministries," and added, "If possible, we plan to collect expert opinions next week and re-examine the implementation schedule."

Earlier, Park Hyang, the head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine team, said at a regular briefing in the morning, "After the peak of the outbreak passes, we are considering transitioning COVID-19 to a Level 2 legal infectious disease," and added, "We will improve the medical response system so that confirmed patients can receive timely treatment in actual medical settings, and we plan to proceed without any disruption to ensure that the public does not experience inconvenience in accessing medical services."

Jung explained, "There are various ways to adjust the classification," and said, "Even if it is changed to Level 2, the management levels within Level 2 can be discussed in various ways." This means that not only legal reviews according to each case but also considerations of the impact on the public, medical institutions, and overall infectious disease management when changes occur must be taken into account.

He added, "If possible, we plan to refine the details through expert opinion gathering and expert forums next week and re-examine the implementation schedule," and said, "We believe that hastily changing the classification system before the peak passes will not help future outbreak management, so we will decide the timing considering all conditions."

Recently, as the fatality rate of the Omicron variant has been judged to have decreased to the level of seasonal flu (0.05?0.1%), the government is considering removing COVID-19 from the highest Level 1 classification. However, since the domestic legal infectious disease classification system was reorganized in 2020, there has been no case of a Level 1 infectious disease being downgraded to Levels 2 to 4.

If the classification adjustment is made, changes will also occur in the confirmed case reporting system and management methods. If adjusted to a Level 2 infectious disease such as tuberculosis, chickenpox, or measles, medical staff will report to quarantine authorities within 24 hours, not immediately upon confirmed case occurrence. Also, currently, isolation obligations apply only to patients of 11 diseases including tuberculosis, measles, and cholera among Level 1 and Level 2 infectious diseases, so the current isolation conditions may disappear. Separately, there are also speculations that with the infectious disease classification adjustment, patients might have to bear the COVID-19 treatment costs that the government previously covered in full.

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