Omicron Variant Causes A Spike In Infections, COVID-19 Patients With Mild Symptoms Asked To Undergo Independent Treatment

Illustration of COVID-19 in South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Piotrus)

JAKARTA - South Korean authorities said on Thursday patients with mild coronavirus symptoms should look after themselves, to give medical resources a chance to treat patients with more serious symptoms, as new infections hit new highs due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

South Korea is one of the countries with a success story in mitigating COVID-19 thanks to aggressive testing and tracking, social distancing and wearing masks.

However, as the highly contagious variant of Omicron spreads, the Government this month began shifting its strategy from testing and tracing to self-monitoring, diagnosis and home care.

Starting Thursday, authorities will only provide treatment to COVID-19 patients aged 60 and older or with underlying conditions. While others monitor themselves, seek medical help from designated clinics if their condition worsens.

Medical supplies including oxygen saturation gauges, thermometers and fever medications, previously available to all patients who are self-care at home, will now be distributed to priority groups only.

As for those who are infected with COVID-19 but have mild or no symptoms, they must now buy these items at their own expense.

Officials estimate about 13.5 percent of new cases will be classified as a high-risk group. The government itself has removed contact tracing and mandatory self-isolation.

"The previous scheme is no longer realistic given our limited resources, requiring huge social and economic costs compared to our medical needs," Health Ministry spokeswoman Son Young-rae told Reuters on Feb. 10.

"The goal of our new Omicron response system is to minimize serious cases and deaths by focusing on diagnosing and treating high-risk groups, and to prevent burnout and collapse of our medical capacity."

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea hit a new record on Wednesday with 54,122 cases, bringing the total infections to 1,185,361 among 52 million people, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased by 20 people, with the total number now recorded at 6,943 deaths.

The daily number has more than doubled in less than a week, and could reach about 170,000 cases later this month with up to 1 million in home care, the KDCA said.

KDCA further explained that around 551,000 doses of Novavax Inc's locally produced vaccine, by South Korean vaccine developer SK Bioscience Co Ltd., were delivered on Thursday.

Meanwhile, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved the vaccine last month, after approving products made by AstraZeneca Inc., Pfizer., Moderna Inc., and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen (JNJ.N).

The Novavax vaccine will be given to unvaccinated people, especially from high-risk groups, KDCA official Lim Sook-young told reporters. A total of more than 1 million doses are expected to be delivered this week.

To note, about 96 percent of South Korean adults have been fully vaccinated and nearly 65 percent have received booster injections, KDCA data show.