[W Forum] Things Coming After the Pandemic

Published 18 Apr.2022 11:20(KST)

"Positive." That was the answer I received when I asked about the result. My throat had been sore since dawn that day. I usually suffer from a severe cold about twice a year, but I hadn’t experienced any symptoms for the past two years. Despite coughing, I got tested at a screening clinic, and the report confirmed that I was a COVID-19 positive case. Indeed, many people around me were already confirmed COVID-19 cases and in isolation, and with daily reports of record-breaking new cases, catching the virus without knowing where it came from had become almost normal.

Experts say this point is the peak and that cases will gradually decrease, transitioning from a pandemic to an endemic. Thanks to the highly contagious Omicron variant, I found myself experiencing the so-called "With Corona" era firsthand, calming my startled heart. As soon as symptoms appeared, my thoughts were, "I have received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine," and "I avoided travel and dining out and was careful," which felt somewhat bittersweet. It was true that I held almost all meetings and international conferences online to only go between work and home. The absolute ban on company dinners no longer felt uncomfortable but rather natural. The delivery food I used so frequently over the past two years, far more than my lifetime consumption of raw fish dishes, no longer felt awkward, and the guilt I felt washing the enormous amount of plastic containers that came with the delivery gradually faded over time.

This is exactly what experts described as the changes in the post-COVID era. They said it accelerated the non-face-to-face era and caused social relationship formation issues due to changes in interpersonal contact methods. Students unable to attend school and housewives burdened with household chores experienced increased stress and depression, and social isolation worsened as people complained about the lack of places to seek help during difficult times. The pandemic not only caused economic problems but also made the vulnerable even more vulnerable, which is called disaster inequality.

Looking back from the beginning, Korea’s K-quarantine is considered one of the best responses worldwide, thanks to the swift actions based on experts’ advice learned from the MERS experience, the already digitalized social environment, and the voluntary and active participation of the entire population. The mortality rate is among the lowest globally, and the healthcare system is cost-effective relative to financial input. Thanks to this, COVID-19 is expected to soon transition to an endemic, living alongside us like the flu, but I wonder to what extent our lives can return to normal.

The pandemic is said to have been caused by humans destroying ecosystems, leading to virus mutations in wild animals that cause fatal infections in humans. In responding to the pandemic caused by environmental destruction, we should consider whether the increased use of masks and protective gear for quarantine, as well as the enormous amount of packaging waste from delivery culture in the non-face-to-face era, might further worsen environmental pollution. Now, as we move into the endemic phase, it is time to unite efforts not only to manage the aftermath of the pandemic disaster but also to establish an efficient and rational system to prepare for possible future pandemics.

In overcoming the disaster situation of the pandemic, where scientific and political aspects for implementation cannot be completely separated, it is clear that we must work together on quarantine efforts without division. I hope for a social consensus with procedural legitimacy that sufficiently reflects the opinions of diverse social members.

Baek Hyun-wook, Director, Biomedical Research Center, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital