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| Healthcare workers speak with a COVID-19 patient over the phone from a hospital in Incheon, west of Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap |
Daily new infections hit another new high of 54,122
By Lee Hyo-jin
Soaring infections fueled by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have forced the Korean government to abandon its much-lauded "3T" virus management strategy of "trace, test and treatment."
Dubbed "K-quarantine," Korea's 3T strategy of massive testing, contact tracing and treatment was once touted as a pandemic response role model for other countries.
But the proactive virus response model which puts equal resources on all positive cases has proven to be ineffective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, which has made it impossible for the government to test and track all cases.
Since late January, the government has begun to scrap its previous tactics, replacing them with new measures that focus more on vulnerable groups.
Regarding its test scheme, instead of offering polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to anybody, the government has adopted a wider use of rapid antigen tests, while limiting the PCR tests only to high-risk groups.
But this has resulted in longer waiting times and confusion at screening centers, where people are provided with self-test kits to use under the supervision of healthcare workers.
The health ministry said it will come up with better measures, such as implementing a reservation system at testing centers.
'Self' contact tracing and treatment
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| People wait in line to receive a COVID-19 test at a screening center in front of Seoul City Hall, Thursday. Yonhap |
Beginning Feb. 7, public officials are no longer contacting people who tested positive to conduct an epidemiological investigation. Instead, patients must fill out a questionnaire on their mobile phones about where they've been and with whom they have come in contact.
With the implementation of this "self-contact tracing" system, the health authorities are reviewing whether to scrap the QR codes and visitor logs at multiuse facilities that are used to speed up contact tracing once infections occur there.
"Until now, the QR code-based system has been useful for rapid contact tracing, but it is expected to play less of a role in our epidemiological investigations. We will make further decisions on the matter," said Park Young-joon, a senior health official in charge of epidemiological investigation.
Under the revised home treatment protocols, beginning Thursday, the government is only providing daily checkups to high-risk groups ― those aged 60 and over with chronic illnesses under home treatment ― leaving others to personally monitor their health condition and contact local clinics if their symptoms worsen.
The new measures aim to concentrate medical resources for the most vulnerable.
The authorities advised people to prepare in advance necessary medication and equipment, such as fever reducers and thermometers, as home kits ― previously available to all patients undergoing home treatment ― will only be provided to high-risk patients.
These major changes in the government's quarantine scheme come as the number of infections spiral out of control, according to experts.
"We've come to the point where the government cannot mobilize its 3T strategy," Jabob Lee, a professor of infectious diseases at Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, said during an interview with local radio.
"The government cannot run all PCR diagnoses like it used to, and the epidemiological investigation has switched to self-contact tracing. Vaccines and social distancing rules seem to be the only measures left to curb the spread," he said.
Meanwhile, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country added 54,122 new cases of infection for Wednesday, hitting yet another record high, up from 49,567 the previous day.
