High-risk groups are strongly recommended to wear it.
WP in the midst of re-proliferation in the US “You can’t loosen the borders”
Self-test kits can be purchased online
Although most outdoor ‘no-masks’ are allowed from the 2nd, it is strongly recommended to wear a mask outdoors for high-risk groups of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and medical experts emphasized that the elderly over the age of 60, those who have not been vaccinated, and those with weakened immunity should wear a mask outdoors.
As of the 1st, about 9.81 million people (76.1% of that age group) have never contracted COVID-19 among the elderly aged 60 and over in Korea. Among the new confirmed cases in the last week (April 25 to May 1), those aged 60 or older accounted for 23.6%. According to the UK Health and Safety Administration (UKHSA), the vaccine’s ‘infection prevention effect’ almost disappeared 5 months (20 weeks) after the third dose. Most of the elderly aged 60 and over in Korea received the third dose in December of last year. About 5 months have passed since the third dose, and there is concern that the effectiveness of the vaccination will decrease.
Experts advised that you should decide whether to wear a mask according to your situation. Kim Yoon, a professor of medical management at Seoul National University College of Medicine, said, “If you live with high-risk groups such as grandmothers and grandfathers, it is better to use them outdoors.”
Quarantine authorities strongly recommend that you wear a mask and go out when you have symptoms such as fever or cough to avoid the risk of transmission. In addition, when it is difficult to keep a distance of more than 1m outdoors, wearing a mask is recommended even in situations where a lot of droplets (saliva) are generated due to exercise or shouting.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is growing again in the United States, the Washington Post (WP) published an editorial on the 29th (local time) not to be optimistic about the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The WP noted that “you never know when another mutation may appear with a degree of contagiousness and severity.” The New York Times reported on the same day that 47 of the 50 states in the U.S. were seeing an increase in new cases of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, from the 1st, self-test kits can be purchased online. Earlier, on the 4th of last month, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also lifted the measure of specifying the price of the self-test kit (6,000 won). On the 1st, the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Korea was 37,771. The number decreased by nearly 30,000 from a week ago (64,704 on the 24th).
Reporter Lee Ji-yoon asap@donga.com
Reporter Kim Min kimmin@donga.com