Covid patients to cough up more starting Thursday

Most people who catch Covid-19 in Korea will be forced to shoulder a greater personal burden after the virus is downgraded on Thursday, marking the end of large-scale state support and monitoring of patients.

A medical worker posts a notice of Covid-19's impending downgrade from level two to the lowest four on the window of a testing booth at a screening clinic located in Gwangju's Buk District on Wednesday, a day before the classification change takes effect. [GWANGJU BUK DISTRICT OFFICE]

Most people who catch Covid-19 in Korea will be forced to shoulder a greater personal burden after the virus is downgraded to the same level as the common flu on Thursday, marking the end of large-scale state support and monitoring of patients.

The change, which was announced by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) last week, will see the classification of the virus lowered by two notches from level two to the lowest four.

Class 2 infectious diseases include tuberculosis and cholera, while Class 4 infectious diseases include influenza and hand-foot-and-mouth disease.

But despite the lower classification of Covid-19, the national crisis rating of the virus will be maintained at “alert.”

As such, the indoor mask mandate at hospitals and residential medical facilities will be maintained for the time being.

The KDCA strongly recommends that patients at high risk of developing complications from Covid-19, including the elderly and those with underlying conditions, continue to wear masks in crowded areas.

The agency will also maintain its five-day voluntary quarantine recommendation to those who test positive for the virus.

Nevertheless, most people who contract the virus from Thursday will face higher testing and treatment costs.

Covid-19’s lower official classification means that the cost of rapid antigen tests (RAT) at hospitals will no longer be covered by the government.

Patients admitted to emergency departments or intensive care units for non-Covid ailments and injuries must shoulder half the cost of such tests.

The price of more accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which were partially subsidized until now, will also rise for most people with the end of state coverage.

Previously, those showing symptoms of Covid-19 were only required to pay 20 percent of the cost of PCR tests.

However, the government will maintain its current coverage of PCR testing costs for people who qualify for oral Covid medication, high-risk individuals and ICU patients.

While screening clinics for Covid-19 at local community health centers will continue to operate and provide free PCR testing to vulnerable categories of people and their caretakers, people who could previously receive free PCR tests at these clinics after showing a positive at-home RAT result will have to pay starting Thursday.

Hospital stays due to Covid-19 will also no longer be fully covered by the government, excepting certain categories of people, such as those aged 60 and over, people with underlying conditions and patients who develop serious symptoms after being infected with the virus.

But Covid-19 vaccines will still be provided free of charge, and the rollout of the vaccine targeting the XBB.1.16 variant will proceed as scheduled starting in October.

The KDCA currently recommends people receive at least one annual administration of the updated Covid-19 vaccine, with individuals in high-risk categories qualifying for two free shots a year.

State welfare payments to those who earn less than the median income level to companies will cease under the new classification, as will government subsidies to companies that give paid leave to employees that contract the virus.

For the first time since the virus spread to Korea, the KDCA will no longer conduct daily monitoring of all individuals who test positive for Covid-19.

Instead, the agency will operate a system to monitor general infection trends by compiling positive cases reported by 527 participating institutions and release a weekly figure beginning on Sept. 13.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]