The government has decided to expand home treatments for Covid-19 patients as a measure to prepare for gradually switching the nation’s infection control to return to the “live-with-covid” system early next month.
The number of Covid-19 patients to treat symptoms at home has been significantly expanded as the government decided to include asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 patients under 70 who do not require hospitalization. Among confirmed patients, asymptomatic or mild patients younger than 70 who did not require hospitalization were also included in the home treatment with the recent decision.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it would expand the limited home treatment to prepare for its social recovery measure planned to begin around Nov. 8. The government had made only underage patients or their guardians receive home treatment.
With the recent change, asymptomatic and mild patients under 70 who do not have impaired consciousness, breathing difficulty, fever, diabetes, mental illness, or requiring dialysis can receive therapies at home. However, those who live in places with a vulnerable environment for infection and have trouble using the national infection control application or communicating with others are exempted from the home treatment.
During home treatment, health caregivers will monitor and provide remote diagnosis and prescriptions with health reimbursement covered for the treatment.
The number of Covid-19 patients treated at home increased from 1,517 on Sept. 30 to 3,328 on Friday, of which 3,231 are receiving treatment in the greater Seoul area.
The government will run a 24-hour emergency system to transport patients who need urgent help with an ambulance in an emergency.
Patients who develop symptoms while under care at home will be transferred to a short-term treatment center, staying for a day or two to monitor their condition, and return to their home when the situation improves. However, those whose symptoms get worsened will be moved to a dedicated hospital.
“The most important thing in expanding targets for home treatment is safety,” a ministry official said. “We will send detailed plans to local governments and manuals for health providers with new home treatment management team for each local government.”
The official stressed that the burden on the medical system must be reduced, and vitalizing home treatment is significant for the nation to gradually return to normal daily lives, requesting the cooperation of citizens.
Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for a third straight day Friday, following a long weekend, amid concerns over the spread of the pandemic ahead of another extended weekend.
The country added 2,176 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,145 local infections, raising the total caseload to 327,976, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Daily infections rebounded to over 2,000 on Wednesday after falling below the 2,000 mark Monday and Tuesday due to fewer tests.
Korea had reported more than 2,000 cases per day since Sept. 26, a day after daily cases exceeded 3,000 for the first time following the Chuseok holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving.
The country added 10 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,554. The fatality rate stood at 0.78 percent.
For another two weeks starting Monday, the government extended the toughest social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area, home to half of the population of 51 million.
Since July 12, the greater Seoul area has been under the Level 4 measures, including business restrictions and a ban on private gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m.
The KDCA said 39.86 million people, or 77.6 percent of the population, had received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines since February when South Korea began its inoculation campaign. The number of fully vaccinated people stood at 29.22 million, or 56.9 percent.
The government kicked off the next phase of its nationwide inoculation campaign Tuesday by opening vaccine reservations for teenagers born in 2004 and 2005.
About 40 percent of 898,779 teenagers aged 16 and 17 made reservations for vaccines in the past three days. They are expected to receive Pfizer vaccines from Oct. 18.