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| A medical worker watches monitors showing intensive care units for COVID-19 patients at a university hospital in Daejeon, Monday. Yonhap |
Gov't decides not to move to next phase of 'Living with COVID-19' plan
By Bahk Eun-ji
The government said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccination certificate will expire six months after secondary inoculation so as to encourage more people to get booster shots, while patients will be placed in home treatment unless their condition is serious enough to be hospitalized.
The health authorities added that the country will not move to a second phase of "Living with COVID-19" due to the coronavirus resurgence and hospital bed shortages, and instead remain in the current first stage for four more weeks along with "special quarantine measures."
These measures come as the number of daily new infections has remained at around 4,000 for nearly a week, and critical cases and deaths are rapidly rising along with breakthrough infections.
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| Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, announces the government's new anti-COVID-19 measures at the Government Complex Seoul, Monday. Yonhap |
Last week only the greater Seoul area was categorized as "very high" and levels in other regions were either "medium" or "high."
"We've overcome crises multiple times so far, but we are now having another crisis as another level," President Moon Jae-in said during a special virus response meeting with relevant government organization heads at Cheong Wa Dae.
"The number of new patients, critical patients and deaths are all increasing, and we are running short of hospital beds," he noted. "If we fail to overcome this crisis, our attempt to return to normality may gradually fail. We need more vigilance and a united response more than ever."
Under the new measures, vaccination certificates, called "vaccine passes" that are required for people to use multiuse facilities, will have a limited validity of six months after their second inoculation. This is to encourage more people to receive booster shots as breakthrough infections have been on the rise especially among elderly citizens ― who received their two-dose vaccines relatively earlier than other age groups ― as the efficacy of the vaccines is waning.
Currently the authorities are encouraging people aged over 60 and staff at geriatric facilities to receive booster shots four months after their first two shots, and five months for those in their 50s. They plan to have people aged between 18 and 49 to get booster shots after five months as well.
The government is preparing a relevant system with the aim of implementing its validity from Dec. 20.
"The urgent task is to have people get their third shots as soon as possible," Moon said. "We need to change the perception that the third shot is additional, to making it basic, and getting this third shot constitutes full vaccination."
To deal with the shortage of hospital beds for coronavirus patients, all patients will initially undergo home treatment.
They will be hospitalized only when their conditions are serious or their stay at home may spread the virus to others.
Regarding home treatment, the government will have medical centers in the community monitor their condition and provide home care kits comprising thermometers, oximeters and fever reducers.
It will establish temporary treatment centers at regions where those in home treatment can get examinations and treatment if their condition worsens.
The authorities also strongly recommended children aged between 12 and 17 to get vaccinated as their vaccination rate is still low amid concerns about side effects, while infections among them are increasing.
They said they discussed tightening the cap of participants at private gatherings or visitors to restaurants and cafes, as well as expanding the vaccine pass to people aged under 18, but decided ascertain public opinion first.
