Baek Gyeong-ran, Director of KDCA, "Enhancing Infectious Disease Response with Data-Driven Quarantine Policies"

Emphasizing 'Scientific Quarantine' at First Inaugural Meeting
"Decision-Making Reflecting Public Acceptance and Participation Rates"
Nationwide 4th Vaccination "Under Review Depending on Epidemic Situation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Baek Kyung-ran, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), emphasized that the infectious disease response system will be advanced through science-based quarantine policies, utilization of big data, and expert participation. She stated that whether to expand the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, currently administered to the elderly, to the entire population will be reviewed depending on future outbreak situations, and that improved vaccines developed to respond to new variants could also be introduced.

On the 9th, Commissioner Baek held her first press briefing since taking office at the KDCA headquarters in Osong, Chungbuk, explaining the policy direction for overcoming COVID-19, which is the government's top priority.

She identified three core pillars for the next phase of quarantine advancement: "evidence-based scientific quarantine policies," "big data and expert participation," and "analysis of population group characteristics."

Commissioner Baek said, "We will build platforms and systems to collect infectious disease information in one place and process and produce it for work and research purposes. For aspects of infectious disease response that cannot be fully explained by data alone, we will maximize the acceptance and utilization of expert opinions from the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Committee." Alongside this, she pledged to strengthen policy research analyzing population group characteristics, stating, "We will make rational decisions that minimize social conflict costs while increasing public acceptance and participation."

She added, "I believe former Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyung handled the initial response well during the novel infectious disease crisis of COVID-19 and gained much public trust and cooperation through rational policy decisions. We will continue to carry forward those efforts."

The most important factor enabling the government to ease quarantine measures and restore daily life was the high vaccination participation of the public. Commissioner Baek noted, "The domestic second-dose vaccination rate has exceeded 80%, which is high globally. Since some people experienced discomfort such as vaccine side effects, we will strive to provide sufficient information to the public about potential issues going forward."

Regarding the recent discussions on lifting the mandatory isolation for confirmed cases, she said that if outbreaks increase again in the future, there will need to be a consensus on how much burden or damage society can bear from the disease. Commissioner Baek stated, "If the isolation mandate changes to voluntary, it could create an environment where sick people cannot rest properly. Social systems and culture must support people to rest well and recover when ill."

If new infectious diseases such as monkeypox, currently spreading in some countries, enter Korea, epidemiological investigations including contact tracing will continue. However, the quarantine authorities explained that management will be more precise and supplemented to prevent excessive exposure of personal information and resulting harm, unlike in the early stages of COVID-19.

On whether to expand the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to the entire population, she responded, "We need to evaluate future outbreak situations, the effectiveness of previous vaccinations, and the decline in infection immunity." Commissioner Baek said, "We will comprehensively assess the effectiveness of the fourth dose and the variant-adapted vaccines from manufacturers to establish vaccination strategies for the fourth dose and potential resurgence. If the improved vaccines are confirmed to be effective and safe, we will actively proceed with their introduction."

Commissioner Baek added, "Looking back over the past two and a half years, everyone was confused by the enormous shock and unprecedented situation of the pandemic response, and in the rush to prepare countermeasures, there was insufficient mourning for those who sacrificed and their bereaved families. We will do our utmost to ensure that the approximately 24,000 people who died from COVID-19 are not recorded merely as numbers, by conducting thorough analyses to prepare for the future."

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