As the escalating Omicron wave overwhelms health workers and quarantine officials, Korea will implement a new at-home treatment system focusing on high-risk Covid-19 patients 60 or older and those with preexisting medical conditions from Thursday.
Quarantine authorities will make daily checkups only on high-risk Covid-19 patients while skipping them on low-risk patients treated at home.
Low-risk patients aged 50 or younger will now have to monitor their conditions by themselves and contact local hospitals if their symptoms deteriorate.
"Low-risk group should prepare an antipyretic agent or a thermometer to watch out for a rapid increase in body temperature," Ministry of Health and Welfare Spokesperson Son Young-rae said. "If any respiratory symptoms appear, we recommend citizens to contact a medical institution immediately for a consultation."
However, Son added that even among low-risk patients, those with difficulties in judgment, including children, can receive medical assistance from the new at-home treatment system using local hospitals and clinics.
The government and the medical community emphasized the importance of local hospitals and clinics to manage mild patients in responding to Omicron mutations more effectively.
According to the Korean Medical Association (KMA), more than 3,000 hospitals and clinics have volunteered to test and treat Covid-19, making it possible to handle up to 180,000 high-risk patients.
The government also stressed the role of local clinics.
"We are discussing to make all hospitals and clinics treating respiratory diseases engage in at-home treatment of Covid-19, such as consulting and prescribing over the phone," Son said.
However, Son rejected calls for large general hospitals to take the lead in at-home treatment instead of small local clinics.
"The argument that large hospitals should serve as bases for home treatment is not suitable for our medical delivery system," Son said. "Medically, the need to treat a large number of asymptomatic and mild patients at large hospitals has also decreased, and we should operate the medical system to stimulate the participation of front-line hospitals and clinics in the treatment of Covid-19 in the mid- to long-term."
The country reported 49,567 new Covid-19 infections, including 49,402 local cases, raising the total to 1,131,248, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked the first time that the daily tally exceeded the 40,000 mark.
The death toll came to 6,943, up 21 from Tuesday. The fatality rate was 0.61 percent, down from 0.64 percent a day earlier. The number of critically ill patients was 285, up 17 a day earlier, the KDCA said.
With the daily Covid-19 cases nearing 50,000, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters released the "Guidelines for Hospital Business Continuity Plan (BCP)" to prepare for infection by medical staff.
If the daily caseload exceeds 50,000 or many medical workers have to be quarantined due to infection, hospitals will admit Covid-19 patients to the general ward.
Health authorities also will allow some medical workers infected with Covid-19 to continue their work if they are fully vaccinated and show no or mild symptoms, to head off the breakdown of the nation's medical system.
As of Tuesday, 28.59 million people, or 55.7 percent of the country's population, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.16 million people, accounting for 86 percent.
On Wednesday, U.S.-based biotechnology company Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine became available in Korea after being manufactured at home by local vaccine developer SK Bioscience Co. following the government's authorization of its use last month.
Some 292,000 doses were released in the day, and around 2 million doses will be provided within this month. The company plans to provide a total of 40 million doses to the country in phases according to the government's inoculation program, the KDCA and the bio firm said.
It will be administered to unvaccinated people aged 18 or older and those who are to receive their second and booster shots. The authorities have said that this "classic" type of vaccine could encourage more people to consider getting shots.