728 'One-Stop Medical Institutions' Open on Chuseok Day... 603 Screening Clinics in Operation

More than 500 Duty Pharmacies Operating to Dispense Oral Therapeutics
Health Authorities Urge 'Adherence to Daily Quarantine Rules' During Holiday Period

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] During this Chuseok holiday period, 603 screening clinics and 70 temporary screening clinics will be operated nationwide. A total of 6,000 "one-stop medical institutions," where COVID-19 testing and oral antiviral prescriptions are available in one place, will open, and designated duty pharmacies nearby will also provide prescriptions for oral antiviral treatments.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported on the enhanced Chuseok quarantine and medical measures preparation status on the 7th and discussed with related agencies to ensure effective operation.

First, information on screening clinics (603 locations) and temporary screening clinics (70 locations) capable of COVID-19 diagnosis and testing will be provided daily during the holiday via Naver, Kakao Map, and other platforms. In particular, at nine highway rest areas with temporary screening clinics during the four-day holiday?such as Anseong, Icheon, Hwaseong, Yongin in Gyeonggi Province; Baekyangsa, Hampyeongcheonji, Boseong Green Tea, Seomjingang in Jeollanam-do; and Tongdosa in Gyeongsangnam-do?anyone who wishes can receive free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

During the holiday, approximately 6,000 one-stop medical institutions capable of COVID-19 diagnostic testing, oral antiviral prescriptions, and face-to-face consultations for confirmed patients will operate, which is 700 more than initially planned. On the first day of the holiday, the 9th, 1,743 institutions will operate normally; on Chuseok day, the 10th, 728 institutions will be open; and on the 11th and 12th, 935 and 2,592 institutions will provide services, respectively.

More than 500 duty pharmacies responsible for oral antiviral treatments will be designated daily near one-stop medical institutions to ensure smooth dispensing and receipt of treatments. In areas lacking one-stop medical institutions, patients will be able to receive diagnostic testing and oral antiviral prescriptions at nearby public health centers or private hospitals to minimize medical service gaps. The one-stop medical institutions and duty pharmacies operating during the Chuseok holiday can be checked on the COVID-19 website and respective local government websites.

Home treatment medical consultation centers will operate normally with more than 150 centers (140 during nighttime) during the holiday, and their operation status will be announced through the COVID-19 website, emergency medical portal, and Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service website. Additionally, 14 local government administrative information centers will be expanded to a total of 225 centers, and all city, county, and district offices will form monitoring teams to conduct health monitoring for vulnerable groups such as elderly living alone.

If symptoms worsen during home treatment, the public health center duty system will be operated to ensure smooth hospitalization linkage, and a list of general medical institutions available for hospitalization will be published on the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service website.

Emergency medical institutions of central and local governments will maintain a 24-hour response system, and the Central Emergency Medical Center will operate a 24-hour situation room to promptly support severe COVID-19 patients requiring ventilation. Furthermore, to prepare for special treatment demands such as dialysis, childbirth, and pediatrics, each city and province will monitor and manage bed operation status by day of the week and maintain a special treatment bed response system to quickly allocate beds for inpatient treatment.

Park Hyang, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine team, stated, "We will continuously monitor the field situation and make thorough preparations to ensure a safe and comfortable Chuseok holiday." She urged, "We also ask the public to make daily compliance with quarantine rules a habit and to undergo COVID-19 diagnostic testing and medical consultation if symptoms appear."

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