Deaths continue to rise... From today, home treatment 'general management' also for those aged 60 and over and immunocompromised

393 Deaths, Third Highest Ever
Over 1,000 Critical Cases for 18 Days
95% of Deaths Aged 60 and Above
Concerns Over Rising Deaths and Critical Cases in High-Risk Groups
"Missing Treatment Timing Could Increase Risk"

[Asia Economy Reporters Ki Ha-young and Kim Young-won] Starting from the 25th, individuals aged 60 and over, as well as immunocompromised persons, who test positive through professional rapid antigen tests will be primarily assigned to the general management group rather than the intensive home treatment management group. The government stated that this measure aims to prevent initial treatment gaps through rapid diagnosis and prescription, but concerns have been raised that it may worsen the situation amid the sharp increase in deaths.

Those Aged 60 and Over Must Manage Their Own Treatment

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on this day, the daily COVID-19 death toll was 393. Although this is 76 fewer than the previous day’s record high of 469, it is still the third highest number ever recorded. The cumulative death toll stands at 14,294. The number of critically ill patients is 1,085, maintaining the 1,000 range for the 18th consecutive day since the 8th. However, the number of new confirmed cases was 339,514, a decrease of 56,083 from the previous day’s 395,597.

Despite the sharp rise in deaths, from this day onward, those aged 60 and over and immunocompromised individuals who test positive via professional rapid antigen tests at local clinics or hospitals will be classified into the general home treatment management group. Patients can receive testing, confirmation, telephone consultation, prescription, and symptom monitoring all at once at the local clinic or hospital where the test was conducted, but the twice-daily health monitoring calls will no longer be provided. If the confirmed patient wishes, they can be transferred to the intensive management group after a basic investigation process at the public health center.

In practice, such transfers are expected to be difficult. Mr. Lee (66) from Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, said, "My wife recently tested positive for COVID-19, and I tried to contact the public health center with some questions, but I couldn’t get through," adding, "If the public health center itself is unreachable, can one really expect to receive intensive monitoring just by requesting it?"

Typically, severe cases and deaths increase two to three weeks after a rise in confirmed cases. If the current trend continues, it is highly likely that more than 500 deaths per day will continue until early April. Notably, most deaths and critically ill patients are aged 60 and over. On this day, 95.2% of the deaths and 85.3% of the critically ill patients were aged 60 and above. Given this situation, experts are concerned that this measure may worsen the increasing trend of deaths and critical cases among high-risk groups.

"Missing the Treatment Window Will Increase Risks"

Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said, "Whether in-person or remote, it is important for high-risk groups such as those aged 60 and over to receive prompt treatment and urgently be prescribed Paxlovid. However, this measure does not seem likely to speed up remote treatment," adding, "Without a supporting (rapid treatment) system, this could be a very risky decision."

Professor Chun Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital also said, "They say testing, treatment, and prescription will be done at one hospital, but it is difficult for local private clinics to handle high-risk groups this way," adding, "To reduce deaths, timely prescription of Paxlovid and Remdesivir is crucial. If the government understands the field situation, they should open university hospitals or general hospitals rather than local clinics."

The government maintains that this measure can prevent the 2-3 day treatment gap that occurs when patients are assigned to the intensive management group. They also claim that the capacity to manage the intensive group is sufficient and that public health centers will continue to focus on managing high-risk groups to prevent blind spots. As of midnight on this day, there are 1,888,775 patients under home treatment, of whom 277,170 receive twice-daily health monitoring as part of the intensive management group. The management capacity for the intensive group is 368,000 (as of the 24th), leaving a capacity margin for about 90,000 more patients.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum emphasized at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on this day, "Considering that the impact of the infection spread will continue for 2-3 weeks, our efforts to reduce severe cases and deaths must be further strengthened," adding, "The government will reinforce medical and quarantine response systems and focus on minimizing damage."

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