Do not repeat the same mistake against Covid-19

Authorities aren't elevating the national crisis level for the return of Covid-19. Even if the disease is not life-threatening at this stage, we cannot know what would happen if thousands are simultaneously infected.

Covid-19 is back in full swing. More and more patients with flu symptoms are being diagnosed with Covid-19. A random survey on 220 medical institutions by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) identified 861 Covid-19 cases in the first week of August, which is a near six-fold increase from three weeks ago. The contagion scope in reality could be a lot more serious.

According to the KDCA, the latest Covid-19 wave is driven by the Omicron subvariant KP.3 that flared up in the United States, Britain, India and other countries late last year. Since the variant appears to be less severe and life-threatening than the past virus, authorities aren’t moving to elevate the national crisis level, leaving people scrambling to find remedies on their own. Masks and hand sanitizers are back in demand, and diagnosis kit makers are running their factories at full capacity.

Since Covid-19 is regarded the same as the flu, patients are not obliged to quarantine themselves. Employers cannot decide whether to have employees go on paid leave or use their annual break days to keep them home and allow them to work. Under such circumstances, people will forego testing or hide their infection. As people stay indoors with air conditioning due to the sweltering heat, the virus spread could go out of control.

Even if the disease is not life-threatening at this stage, we cannot know what would happen if thousands are simultaneously infected. It can be more dangerous to people with chronic diseases. If infections increase, variants can sprout, including deadly ones. The hospital situation is also poor due to the void of training doctors.

The government should act more pre-emptively even if the disease does not pose a fatal danger. Even without elevating the response level, it should publish a guideline to allow people to stay out of work upon infection. The JN.1 vaccine has been proven to be effective against the popular variant, and 7.55 million sets have been secured. But many do not think vaccination is necessary. The government must raise awareness and hasten with the supplies of cures.

The fuss may be troublesome and look unnecessary, but we have lived through the consequences of poor preparation against infectious waves. We must not repeat the past mistake.