BA.5 infections rise but return to social distancing is nixed

Social Affairs

Published: 13 Jul. 2022, 17:23 Updated: 13 Jul. 2022, 17:29

BA.5 infections rise but return to social distancing is nixed

A pharmacist displays a case of Paxlovid, Covid-19 treatment pills developed by Pfizer Inc., at a drugstore in Seoul on Wednesday. Previously, oral antiviral drugs were prioritized for unvaccinated patients aged 60 or older, but the government on Wednesday expanded prescriptions to high-risk groups such as residents of nursing hospitals. [NEWS1]

Reacting to a possible sixth wave of the pandemic, Korea will offer fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccine to more people but not return to social distancing measures — at least yet.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced a new set of health measures Wednesday as the country sees a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.

Under the plan, the government lowered eligibility requirements for fourth doses of coronavirus vaccines, while encourage more use of antiviral drugs.

Currently, groups eligible for a fourth vaccine dose are people over the age of 59; immune-compromised people; and residents or workers at nursing hospitals.

Eligibility is now expanded to include people in their 50s; people aged 18 or older with underlying diseases; and employees and residents in facilities for the handicapped and in homeless shelters.

“People in their 50s have a high prevalence of underlying disease conditions and have higher fatality rate than people below 50,” Peck Kyong-ran, the commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

“We also took into consideration that for nearly 96 percent of people in that age group, four months have passed since a third dose,” Peck explained.

Although the vaccines currently in use are not ideal to prevent infection with the fast-spreading Omicron sublineage BA.5, the government believes they can prevent infected people from deteriorating into severe illness.

Peck cited countries overseas such as the United States and Australia that have already included people in their 50s in groups eligible for a fourth vaccine dose.

In a government Covid-19 response meeting held Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stressed that all eligible groups are “strongly advised” to get fourth vaccine doses.

However, the government didn't present any new strategies to encourage people to get a fourth shot. Interest is already low, as shown in the rate of people over 59 who got fourth doses, which was only 35.7 percent as of Wednesday. They have been eligible since April 14.

Among the eligible groups, people who received a third vaccine shot four months (120 days) ago or longer can receive fourth shots. People wishing to get inoculated earlier due to personal reasons — such as traveling abroad, hospitalization, and treatment — will be allowed after three months, or 90 days.

Reservations for fourth shots will available on the website (ncvr.kdca.go.kr) starting July 18, and appointment dates can be selected from Aug. 1.

The government also promised to offer oral antiviral drugs Paxlovid and Lagevrio to more patients. The treatments, which were prioritized for unvaccinated people aged 60 or older, will be encouraged to be prescribed to more people, including residents of nursing hospitals when they test positive for the virus.

Korea bought oral treatments for 1.06 million people, and of them, treatments for 780,000 people are available for use. The government plans to purchase an additional amount for 942,000 people.

The seven-day quarantine mandate for people who test positive for the virus was maintained.

Despite the recent rise in Covid-19 cases, the five-person cap on social gatherings and the 9 p.m. business curfew are not likely to come back.

Unlike in the early days of the pandemic, the lower fatality rates for the Omicron variant and its sublineages as well as the rate of inoculation and availability of treatments reduced the need for social distancing, the government explained.

“The need to minimize social and economic damage is greater than ever,” Commissioner Peck added, “and we took the current economic situation into consideration.”

Health authorities, however, did not rule out a return of social distancing. They warned that distancing rules could be introduced selectively, such as restricting face-to-face visits in nursing hospitals in case of a significant change in the pandemic wave.

Authorities urged individuals to follow public health guidelines voluntarily, including wearing of face masks, washing hands, ventilating rooms and getting vaccinated.

Stricter border control measures were also announced Wednesday.

The PCR test needed to be taken within three days of arrival has now been required to be taken within 24 hours of entry, while test-takers are advised to stay at home until results come out.

In terms of tests taken before arrival, Korea currently accepts a negative rapid antigen test result received within 24 hours of departure. That, however, may be upgraded to PCR test results in the future.

PCR tests were required for entry earlier in the pandemic. They are more expensive and difficult to get in most countries abroad.

The new preventive measures came as Korea’s daily Covid-19 infections climbed above 40,000 for the first time in more than two months.

The country reported 40,266 new infections on Wednesday, which was 2.1 times larger than the previous week’s 19,362 cases. It was the largest daily total in 63 days.

Of Wednesday’s tally, 398 were imported from overseas.

Health authorities said the resurgence of the virus came two to three months earlier than expected, and in a worst case scenario, Korea could see up to 207,000 confirmed Covid-19 patients a day in mid-August.

They, however, stopped short of classifying the current uptick in cases as a sixth wave, saying they have to measure the increase in patients and other epidemiological factors such as the growth of virus variants and cluster infections.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]