Sizing up a potential second wave of Covid-19
AS SOUTH Korea officially ended stringent social distancing onWednesday, health authorities have expressed both caution and confidence on the country’s fight against Covid-19.
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) deputy director Kwon Joon-wook said officials were on edge over the possibility that the pathogen is spreading silently somewhere undetected.
But even if that turns out to be true, authorities are prepared more than ever before to handle it, he stressed.
“If a second wave of infections strikes, it will be different from the one we experienced in late February,” he said at a daily briefing on the virus situation on Tuesday. “We are making all-out efforts in preparation [of a potential second wave].”
Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo reiterated the importance of individuals to do their part to avoid catching and spreading the virus, while carrying on with their daily life, visiting places and meeting people.
Amid a steady drop in Covid-19 cases, health authorities have agreed to reduce the number of hospitals assigned to treat infectious diseases.
In the third such downsizing, seven hospitals equipped with a combined 1,725 hospital beds, previously designated to treat novel coronavirus patients, will resume normal operations, said the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
Health authorities said they will make sure the hospitals will be able to admit virus patients in case of a rise in infections.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has warned that a possible second wave of Covid-19 could be mightier than the first due to public carelessness and a change from the hot season to the rainy season.
The situation in Thailand is now considered controllable as more than half of the provinces recorded no new cases in the last 28 days, which has allowed the government to relax a temporary ban on six business and activities.
However, thousands of people have travelled to other provinces since the lockdown was eased, which has led to concern at the Department of Disease Control that Covid-19 infections might double in two weeks.
Bureau of General Communicable Diseases director Dr Sopon Iamsirithaworn said the chances of infection can spread again as more people meet. “Taking personal safety precautions will help reduce the risk of a second outbreak.”
During the rainy season, hospitals normally see an increase in the number of patients suffering from respiratory disorders, which have initially confused doctors as to whether they are Covid-19 related or not.
For example, the southern Yala province has found 40 cases which were thought to be Covid-19 related, but after a second test, the cases came back negative.
The public hea lt h minist r y has ordered that all Covid-19 test samples be sent to t he Department of Medical Science to ensure accurate and faster results.