The transition committee of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has hinted at shifting to the face-to-face treatment of Covid-19. However, the medical community called for a cautious approach, noting that gradual conversion is needed to restore normality.
Experts agreed with the transiting to in-person treatment to recover normalcy. Still, they expressed concerns that abrupt policy shifts can increase confusion in medical fields.
They also emphasized that the conversion to face-to-face treatment should be preceded by effective management of high-risk groups and securing sufficient drugs. Unless these preconditions are met, it can send a wrong signal to society, the experts pointed out, reiterating their call for the prudent management of messages.
Park Soo-hyun, the spokesperson for the Korea Medical Association, emphasized that social consensus is a must for society to shift to face-to-face treatment and eased virus controls. He added that considering non-Covid-19 patients and vulnerable classes is also the preconditions of such a conversion.
“The objective is restoring normalcy, and easing restrictions is necessary in this regard. However, the new government should not try to ease controls only through guidelines and policy but create a social atmosphere while calming down social anxiety,” Park said. “There is still social fear because of the record-high infections and deaths. The new government needs to think about the point where it can induce social consensus between quarantine and normal life.”
Pointing out that all hospitals are under tremendous pressure to treat Covid-19 patients as the government focuses only on detecting and treating them, Park called for considering vulnerable people, including infants within 100 days of birth, older adults, and surgery patients at risk of pneumonia complications.
Although there are many Covid-19 patients, we cannot make all other patients bear the same risk of infection. For the sake of considering and protecting vulnerable groups, social consensus should be preceded,” he said.
Kim Dong-seok, president of the Korean Council of Practicing Physicians, called for a cautious approach, noting that a sudden shift to face-to-face treatments might give a message that equates Covid-19 with the flu.
“The main principle of treatment is face-to-face care. However, in-person care carries the high risk of mixing ordinary patients with Covid-19 patients. The two types of patients cannot be separated in medical fields. We should correctly evaluate infection risks,” Kim said.
Kim said the shift seems intended to handle Covid-19 like the flu. However, he pointed out that the contagious power and risk of Covid-19 are far higher than the flu.
“Nor has the nation secured sufficient treatments. In this situation, the government should not appear to have easily decided to treat Covid-19 like flu,” he said.
He called for sufficient examination by experts before making a judgment, preceded by fields’ opinions and data and precise analysis.
“Political judgments will only create further confusion,” Kim emphasized.
Doctors in medical fields agreed that the government should develop countermeasures against infections at hospitals and secure sufficient treatments as preconditions.
“We should first expand the scope of Paxlovid prescription and secure a sufficient amount of the oral Covid-19 treatment,” said Park Geun-tae, chairman of the Korean Physicians’ Association. “Instead of making all medical institutions shift to face-to-face treatment, the government can also consider allowing hospitals that can separate Covid-19 patients from others, such as those designated as treating respiratory diseases, to move first by receiving applications from them.”
A doctor who runs an ear, nose, and throat hospital in Seoul agreed.
“The new government’s direction is right, but it needs speed control. A cautious approach is needed. It should begin to make the transition after meeting the precondition of securing sufficient treatments,” he said. “We diagnose Covid-19 but have no treatments. All we have are drugs that can help patients ‘endure’ the situation. Face-to-face treatments will become possible only when we have a sufficient amount of treatments in our hands.”
Pointing out that the prescription of Paxlovid has too many restrictions and complicated procedures, the ENT specialist said that some doctors give up prescribing it as they must win approvals for each prescription.
“Most clinics and pharmacies keep the volume to the limit. If we move toward face-to-face treatment and ease controls on prescription, the number of drugs secured will run out instantly,” he said. “The government should think the number of new infections would continue at least to mid-April and secure treatments before turning to face-to-face treatment.”
Others called for a more positive introduction of antibody treatments aside from the Paxlovid pill.
“Japan is already making the most of antibody treatments in face-to-face treatment. The neighboring country has also considerably eased quarantine standards for medical workers. We also should secure sufficient antibody drugs effective in treating the Omicron variant, make neighborhood clinics supply them through face-to-face treatment, and prevent the symptoms’ aggravation to severe cases in advance,” said Shin Kwang-cheol, vice chairman of the Korean Society of Otolaryngologists.
Instead of letting some medical institutions convert to face-to-face treatment ahead of others, Shin also called for all hospitals to move simultaneously after making complete preparations.
“There are too many patients, currently. All medical institutions, public health centers, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare are panting for breath. All outpatient hospitals are experiencing difficulties treating general patients,” Shin said. “Even respiratory disease clinics have reached limits in meeting demands for testing and providing non-face-to-face treatment.”
Shin also called for closer communication with medical societies and practicing physicians.
“Instead of instructing hospitals to prepare for the conversion a few days before its implementation, the government should listen to the fields’ voices and accept experts’ advice in advance,” he said.