South Korea to Manage COVID-19 Like a Seasonal Flu, Lowering Infection Level to Lowest Category

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The South Korean government will downgrade the infection level of COVID-19 to the lowest category, allowing for the disease to be managed like a seasonal flu, health authorities announced Wednesday. This decision came after the number of COVID-19 cases decreased last week for the first time in nearly two months.

Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said in a government meeting, “The spread of COVID-19, which started in the fourth week of June, has recently slowed down and turned into a decline, and the overall quarantine situation has been stabilized.” She added, “It’s time to shift our focus from counting daily cases to protecting high-risk populations. The government will change the COVID-19 infection level from Class 2 to Class 4 and manage it within the general health care system.”

The measure, which will take effect on August 31, is meant to facilitate a full transition to pre-pandemic normalcy. On Thursday, the government will discontinue the daily tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases, which has been in place since the outbreak of the pandemic. However, the mask mandate will remain at hospitals and nursing homes to protect those vulnerable to the coronavirus. Additionally, the government said it will cover part of the hospitalization costs of seriously ill patients through the end of this year and provide vaccines and treatments free of charge.

Class 4 diseases, the lowest of the country’s infection level, which include influenza and hand, foot and mouth disease, require specimen-based surveillance. Patients infected with Class 2 diseases, like tuberculosis, measles and cholera, are isolated by health authorities. COVID-19 was categorized as Class 1 in January 2020 and lowered to the second level in April last year.

Jee Yong-mi, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), speaks during a press briefing in Cheongju, some 112 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 23, 2023. (Yonhap)

A few people wait to take tests at a makeshift COVID-19 testing center in Seoul on Aug. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

A few people wait to take tests at a makeshift COVID-19 testing center in Seoul on Aug. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

brk@yna.co.kr
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