Jeong Gi-seok "Epidemic scale will vary depending on vaccination compliance... Not yet time to take off masks"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Jeong Gi-seok, head of the COVID-19 Special Response Team (Chairman of the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee), predicted that the scale and starting point of the upcoming outbreak will vary depending on the winter vaccination. Regarding the lifting of indoor mask mandates, he stated that it is not yet time to remove masks and that discussions are ongoing.

At a regular briefing on the 24th, Jeong said, "The starting point and peak of the upcoming outbreak can vary greatly depending on the immunity built so far and how well people respond to the updated winter vaccines."

Jeong cited other respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza and metapneumovirus as examples. He explained, "There have been influenza alerts and warnings about metapneumovirus and RS virus, and due to concerns about re-outbreaks, people have been wearing masks well and being cautious, so the spread has not exploded but is gradually increasing. Similarly, the pattern of COVID-19 re-outbreaks this winter could change depending on vaccine uptake."

He pointed to the perception that "COVID-19 is not a big problem" as a reason for the low winter vaccination rate and emphasized the need to increase vaccination rates. He encouraged vaccination by saying, "Immunity rises about two weeks after winter vaccination, so it is not too late even now." However, he added, "We are not saying everyone should get vaccinated, but high-risk groups should be prioritized, and even those who are not high-risk but frequently meet them should get vaccinated together. Eventually, management at the level of influenza will be possible."

Regarding the easing of indoor mask mandates, he expressed the need for more time. Jeong said, "Discussions about indoor masks are ongoing among the advisory committee, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, but it is not easy to reach a conclusion." He explained, "Removing indoor masks means accepting a certain level of infection, but no one knows how the 7th wave will come or whether the influenza outbreak will rise to 70 cases, which is 10 times the current level, as in the past. If infections increase but no one dies and there are no ICU problems, we would tell people to remove indoor masks, but that is not the current situation."

He also predicted that even if indoor mask mandates are lifted, certain facilities such as medical institutions will still require mandatory mask-wearing. Jeong said, "Even if the indoor mask mandate is lifted, especially in crowded environments like public transportation or medical institutions where various germs mix, it will probably take a long time after the pandemic is declared over worldwide before it can be safely lifted."

He added, "In other places, when it is judged safe to accept some risk regardless of specific locations, times, or environments, the mandate can be boldly lifted. If we endure for about three more months, people will not have to feel much stress about indoor masks."

Meanwhile, Jeong emphasized the importance of the medical response system for infants and adolescents. He said, "The recent COVID-19 outbreak has passed its plateau, and human metapneumovirus and RS virus are increasing especially among children and adolescents. If the COVID-19 outbreak worsens in this situation, confusion in medical settings could increase, so it is necessary to review and prepare measures for the pediatric medical response system before a full-scale outbreak."

Jeong also mentioned recent changes by health authorities, such as lifting the rule to separate symptomatic patients during outpatient care and allowing testing after initial treatment for emergency patients if necessary. He urged, "Field medical staff should thoroughly understand these revised guidelines to ensure that emergency patients receive timely care without delay."

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