Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Today, South Korean health authorities reported a rise in new daily infections
with new outbreaks in the southeastern city of Daegu, as well as in the capital city
of Seoul and neighbouring areas. So far, 262 people, mostly elderly patients with
underlying illnesses, have died in South Korea. As of yesterday, 9,851 patients
have been dismissed from hospitals after fully recovering from the novel
coronavirus, up by 407 from a day earlier, the biggest one-day release so far.
“From the first days of the emergency, [South] Koreans have shown great civic
responsibility,” said Prof Eusun Lee. “Many have reduced travel to a minimum and
went out only when necessary wearing protective masks.” People immediately
followed rules and common sense: In case of cough, cover your mouth, wash your
hands often, and keep far away from each other.
For many experts, large-scale diagnostic capacity was key to controlling the
epidemic in South Korea. Eusun Lee agrees. In the past, “We head the experience
of MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) five years ago. At the time, the
[South] Korean government upgraded medical facilities in big hospitals.”
When Chinese scientists first published the COVID-19 virus' genetic sequence in
January, at least four South Korean firms quietly began developing and stockpiling
test kits alongside the government – well before the country had its first
outbreak. When things began to get worse, the authorities could test more than
10,000 people a day, even at makeshift drive-through testing centres and newly
The government has put in place the largest and most organized testing program in
the world, combined with extensive efforts to isolate infected people and track down
those who have come into contact with them. Since the start of the outbreak, the
authorities were able to set up 118 laboratories and 633 testing sites, including
pop-up facilities and drive-through clinics. The government set up dedicated
facilities for patients at different stages of the disease to reduce the burden on
hospitals.
Hotels and dormitories are used as makeshift wards and quarantine sites for
patients with mild symptoms, or suspected of infection under centralized
observation. The authorities track, isolate and monitor each individual case using
various technological tools: South Korean mobile phones vibrate with emergency
alerts whenever new cases are discovered in their districts. Websites and
smartphone apps detail hour-by-hour, sometimes minute-by-minute. People who
believe they may have crossed paths with a patient are urged to report to testing
centers. People ordered into self-quarantine must download another app, which
alerts officials if a patient ventures out of isolation. Fines for violations can reach,
500. South Korea brought the fight COVID-19 under controls because of the way
the authorities enlisted the public’s cooperation.
Ultimately, the most important lesson that other countries can learn from the
way South Korea is handling the emergency is the synergy between government
and people. For Prof Lee, this means “following the government [guidelines] and
staying at home.”