COVID patients aged over 60 are asked to treat themselves at home

Confirmed COVID-19 patients aged over 60 years old will be required to treat themselves at home from Friday if their rapid antigen test results turn out to be positive. The government has been reducing the number of people under the health authority’s remote monitoring program, and with the recent decision to monitor the elderly group, who are more susceptible to the virus, through general program, some raise voices of concern that these people may be placed under the health authority’s blind spot.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on Wednesday it would exclude COVID-19 patients who are confirmed through rapid antigen tests aged over 60 and those with weak immune system, including cancer patients, from the health authority’s remote monitoring program. Those who wish to be monitored are required to personally make a request to the local public health center. Patients aged over 60 who are confirmed through PCR tests will be classified into focused monitoring group as things stand. The CDCH announced that those in the focused monitoring group are eligible for telemedicine and prescription when they are assigned to hospitals, while those under general monitoring program may receive non face-to-face treatment at nearby hospitals immediately after the test results come out. “This is to facilitate the treatment process for those aged over 60,” the CDCH stated.

As of midnight Wednesday, the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded 490,881, the second highest since the outbreak of the pandemic. The accumulated number of confirmed cases was 10,427,247, accounting for more than 20 percent of the domestic population. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued an urgent authorization of Merck's molnupiravir pill.


ksy@donga.com