Anyway, I can't get the medicine and have to pay... Pass the COVID test?

This is really a problem..

My husband also received a prescription for cold medicine.

I heard that COVID medication is not given to those under 60 years old.

Is that all? They also told me to come to work at the company, so I used my personal leave;;

The COVID-19 isolation guidelines have changed..

Everyone is going to work wearing masks..

I heard that there are many people who intentionally do not get tested for COVID-19...

 

 

A citizen being tested at the screening clinic of the Daegu Dalseo-gu Health Center on August 30th last year <Source: Newsis>

 

 

As the COVID-19 outbreak surges rapidly during the summer, shortages of diagnostic kits and treatments are occurring. Experts advise that even for the general public who cannot receive COVID-19 treatment, testing and isolation are necessary to prevent the spread among high-risk groups.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 15th, the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients in the first week of August was 861, reaching the highest level in six months since the first week of February when it was 875. Compared to the first week of July, which had 91 patients, this represents an increase of over nine times.

There are treatments for COVID-19 such as Lagevrio, Paxlovid, and Veklury. Among these, Veklury is an intravenous medication, while Lagevrio and Paxlovid are oral medications.

Both oral antiviral medications have certain contraindications. Paxlovid is administered to individuals aged 60 or older, immunocompromised patients aged 12 or older, or those with underlying health conditions. According to the guidelines from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, oral antiviral treatment should prioritize prescribing Paxlovid. There are 37 medications that should not be taken together with these drugs, and among them, 26 are approved for use in Korea.

Lagevrio is much easier to use compared to Paxlovid because the list of contraindicated drugs is limited, but it is still prescribed mainly for patients aged 60 and above, or for immunocompromised or patients with underlying conditions aged 18 and above.

Ultimately, for general adults under 60 and infants and young children, even if they are infected with COVID-19, they cannot receive specialized treatment.

Hong Jeong-ik, Director of the Infectious Disease Policy Bureau at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, also answered "yes" to a question on a radio program interview on the 13th about whether COVID-19 patients can take over-the-counter cold medicine. He said, "That's correct," and added, "Young people can rest, drink plenty of water, and if they have a fever or headache, they can manage it with antipyretics, just like with common respiratory infections."

The problem is that there is no incentive for the younger generation to get tested for COVID-19 because of this. In the past, if someone tested positive for COVID-19, they would receive sick leave, paid leave, or quarantine support funds, but the quarantine support fund system has now disappeared, and sick leave or paid leave varies from company to company.

Support for COVID-19 testing costs here has also disappeared as the legal infection grade of COVID-19 has been lowered, so for the general public, they have to pay about 10,000 to 30,000 won each time they get tested at a clinic level.

Experts agree that testing among young people is necessary in order to prevent the spread of high-risk groups through the younger generation.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the currently dominant KP.3 variant is not believed to significantly affect the severity or fatality rate compared to the original virus. However, the disease burden remains high among the elderly, with 1 in 1,000 people in their 60s, 2 to 3 in 1,000 people in their 70s, and 1 in 100 people over 80 developing severe illness.

Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital said, "Since infection can be transmitted through family or workplace, individuals should isolate themselves through testing, and if infected, they should rest for about 3 to 5 days."

Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of Korea University College of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine said, "You need to get tested so you won't infect others around you."

<Source: Newsis>