S. Korea to conduct large-scale survey on long-term effects of COVID-19

The government will conduct a large-scale survey on long-term effects of COVID-19 to better understand post-COVID-19 symptoms and their causes, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday.

“Many people are experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19, but (the government) responses have not been sufficient,” Han said during a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday. “The government currently plans to conduct a large-scale survey and a systematic review to make a guideline for treating people with aftereffects of COVID-19,” Han added.

Han also noted that the country would overhaul COVID-19 safety measures to tackle a possible resurgence in the country. “The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic here has stabilized at a lower level with the average number of daily COVID-19 infections this week remaining under 10,000 and the number of severe cases staying slightly over 100,” Han said. “The government will take it as a golden time for checking the country’s COVID-19 response system.”

According to Han, the government will secure over 5,000 health care centers that can offer one-stop medical services for COVID-19 patients, from diagnosis to prescription.

Han added that the government will also create an advisory committee of medical experts from whom the government can seek advice before introducing COVID-19 measures and related policies in the future.

Meanwhile, South Korea added 9,315 daily COVID-19 cases during the 24 hours of Thursday, the government reported Friday. The figure was down 2,846 from the previous day and down 3,227 from a week prior.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)