As the spread of Covid-19 has subsided, the government has removed the mandatory Covid-19 testing requirement for patients visiting emergency rooms (ER).

Until now, the government has required people to undergo a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or a rapid antigen test before visiting the ER to prevent infection.

“For smooth emergency treatment, the government has decided to reorganize quarantine measures for receiving ER treatment,” Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong said during a daily Covid-19 task force meeting on Wednesday. “From now on, when a patient visits the ER, treatment is given first, and rapid PCR tests or rapid antigen tests are given only when the medical staff judges that such a test is necessary.”

The quarantine officials have also changed the guidelines from requiring suspected Covid-19 patients to receive ER treatment at single-person isolation beds to general beds.

Industry watchers have interpreted that the measure is part of the transformation of the general medical system in response to Covid-19.

The total Covid-19 infection in Korea surpassed 25 million on Wednesday. A grim milestone that comes two years and eight months since Korea confirmed the first Covid-19 case on Jan. 20, 2020.

Notably, it took only 70 days for Korea to confirm an additional five million cases after breaking the 20 million mark on Aug. 3.

On Wednesday, Korea added 30,535 new Covid-19 infections, including 70 cases from abroad, bringing the total caseload to 25,025,749, according to the KDCA.

The R0, or an estimated reproductive rate of how many people may contract the virus from one infected person, remained below 1 for seven consecutive weeks at 0.87, but slightly increased from 0.80 in the second and third week of September.

The nation also reported 15 more Covid-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 28,723. The fatality rate stood at 0.11 percent. The number of critically ill patients came to 263, down 50 from the previous day.

According to the KDCA, about 44.68 million among 52 million Koreans have been fully vaccinated. In addition, about 33.6 million people had received their first booster shots, and 7.48 million had their second booster shots.

 

Copyright © KBR Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution prohibited