Abolition of COVID-19 'High-Risk Group Phone Monitoring'... Encouraging In-Person Medical Consultations

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Starting in August, health authorities will no longer conduct health monitoring for high-risk COVID-19 patients receiving home treatment.

According to the government on the 31st, from August 1st, a revamped home treatment system will be applied to confirmed cases from whom specimens have been collected. Home treatment patients will no longer be classified into high-risk or general management groups; instead, those with symptoms will be encouraged to receive in-person medical care.

Confirmed patients aged 60 and above, immunocompromised individuals, and others at high risk of developing severe symptoms were previously classified as the "intensive management group." They received daily health monitoring calls until the end of their isolation. Under the revamped home treatment system, all are considered part of the general management group.

The government explained that the quarantine response system has changed, including expanding the infrastructure for in-person medical care and broadening the prescription eligibility for oral antiviral treatments. They added that the home treatment system was revamped to prevent severe illness in high-risk groups by confirming patient conditions through in-person care and promptly administering oral antiviral medications.

As of midnight on the day, there are 490,036 patients under home treatment. The intensive management group accounts for 21,958 people, representing 4.5%. There are 830 medical institutions nationwide operating to check the condition of home-treated patients in the intensive management group once daily by phone.

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