(Unofficial Translation)

I am personally presiding over today’s meeting to call for an all-out response to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant. As it has become the dominant coronavirus strain in Korea, we are seeing daily case counts break records every day. Amid this grave situation, it is difficult to predict how high the number of confirmed cases will rise and when the peak will come. However, there is no need for excessive fear – though we have to become more vigilant. If our people continue to demonstrate the same mature civic awareness and our excellent epidemic prevention measures and medical capacity remain at full force, we will be able to completely overcome the Omicron variant as well.

We have made our way through the COVID-19 tunnel fairly well so far. Whenever facing new situations and challenges, countermeasures and systems have been supplemented and advanced. As a result, we have been able to pull off an achievement that’s now globally recognized as the best benchmark – Korea’s response to COVID-19. Even with the total number of confirmed cases and deaths worldwide reaching as many as 400 million and 6 million, respectively, our country’s total number infected and case fatality rate per 100,000 people have both been kept among the world’s lowest.

Our response to the Omicron variant helped us delay as much as possible the timing of it becoming the dominant strain compared to other countries. Having bought considerable time, we could preemptively prepare Omicron-specific anti-epidemic measures and medical systems. Along with securing additional hospital beds in advance, the pace of administering third doses of vaccines has been quickened. Our medical system was preemptively switched to one that revolves around at-home treatment. In addition, oral antiviral medication has been imported earlier than scheduled.

Consequently, the number of severely or critically ill patients, which once surpassed 1,000, has been reduced to somewhere in the 200s despite the soaring caseloads. The utilization rate of COVID-19 intensive care units has been kept below 20 percent. All of this has contributed to enhancing our ability to provide needed medical care. From this point on, our response to the Omicron variant will be put to a real test. The Omicron response system that was prepared by the preemptive overhaul should be fully utilized as planned. I urge everyone to check if any part of the system needs further improvement.

Given the characteristics of the highly transmissible yet less severe Omicron variant, we will have to increase the speed and efficiency of our responses and prioritize managing high-risk groups. At the same time, we should focus our capabilities on diminishing the possibility of the infected dying or growing seriously ill. Even if the number of confirmed cases rises, I believe we will be able to successfully tide over this critical juncture if we can manage the number of seriously or critically ill patients and the case fatality rate in a stable manner and maintain our ability to provide needed medical care.

This is a sweeping reorganization to the extent that it can be called a new medical and epidemic prevention and control system. Accordingly, the central and local governments and the medical community should join forces to minimize confusion in the initial stages and ensure that the reorganized system takes firm root on the ground as early as possible.

Above all, it is important to increase the role of neighborhood hospitals and clinics under this new testing and treatment system. I am deeply grateful for the medical community’s active participation and cooperation. I’d like to ask for the participation of more hospitals and clinics to manage the soaring number of patients. For its part, the Government will closely communicate with and support the medical community to ensure stable and efficient treatments at the participating medical institutions.

The inconveniences caused by the reorganization of the testing system should also be minimized. I urge you to devise support measures for vulnerable people and areas in regard to epidemic prevention and control while ensuring that COVID-19 self-test kits are supplied stably on the basis of our sufficient production capabilities. We will have to expand eligibility for the oral medication and use the pills effectively to reduce the number of seriously or critically ill patients.

Meanwhile, thorough preparations should be made so that the surge in confirmed cases will not paralyze essential social services as has happened in some countries. In particular, relevant ministries and agencies should check their plans to maintain essential functions and implement them without any disruption in such fields as medical services, public security, firefighting, education, caregiving, transportation and power generation.

As the new school year and the start of the new semester are just around the corner, all-out efforts have to be made to prepare a safe return to in-person classes. Parents, in particular, must be very concerned. I ask you to do everything possible to maintain epidemic prevention and control in schools, including the use of rapid antigen tests, so everyone can feel at ease.

The role of local governments as regional control towers for epidemic prevention and medical responses is very important. Most of all, it may be difficult for frontline community health centers on their own to handle such mounting tasks as testing, epidemiological investigations and the monitoring of those infected who are recuperating at home. For this reason, I would like local governments to mobilize all of their capabilities, for instance, by mustering administrative personnel for the COVID-19 response.

The people’s voluntary participation and cooperation are also urgently needed. In addition to complying with epidemic prevention rules and vaccination, the role of individuals has grown across the board in the reorganized epidemic prevention and medical service system: They must personally take rapid antigen tests and fill out epidemiological investigation forms. I ask the people to further enhance their role as the principal players in epidemic prevention and control.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has lasted for more than two years, has left deep wounds to everyone. I express my sincerest sympathy and gratitude to the medical personnel and anti-epidemic workers who have devoted themselves to this endless struggle; the microbusiness owners and the self-employed, whose hardships continue to pile up; and all of the people who have long endured inconveniences in their daily lives.

I ask everyone to summon a little more strength. It is always darkest before the dawn and coldest before spring arrives. I believe that this is the last critical juncture on the way to bringing back our normal lives. If our people put faith in the Government and join forces, we will be able to return to our daily lives more quickly.