Riding the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
Joseph Christian Obnial 1 7 , Maria Beatriz Baron 2 , Hannah Andrea Sagsagat 3 , Erika Ong 2 , Ma. Alexandra Nicola Valenzuela 4 , Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno1 Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Santo Tomas, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines.
2 College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines.
3 West Visayas State University College of Medicine, La Paz, Iloilo City, Philippines.
4 St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine – William H. Quasha Memorial, Kalusugan, Quezon City, Philippines.
5 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
6 Faculty of Management and Development Studies, University of the Philippines Open University, Philippines.
7 Corresponding author. Email: josephccobnial@gmail.com
Journal of Primary Health Care 13(2) 116-120 https://doi.org/10.1071/HC21033
Published: 29 June 2021
Journal Compilation © Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners 2021 This is an open access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Abstract
During the first months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020, South Korea stood as one of the most successful in preventing a nationwide outbreak. The country was unique in that it did so without enforcing massive border restrictions and tight social distancing measures, instead focusing on maximal testing, contact tracing, and treatment. But as the year 2020 went on, the country has suffered second and third waves, each one being larger and harder to combat than the last. The Korean government, however, has been unwilling to impose stringent measures due to potential economic consequences and has still relied on its initial strategies in an attempt to prevent further disease transmission. It is therefore crucial to revisit their position beyond their early successes to re-evaluate the effectiveness of their strategy, and to finally decide if it is time to move on to more drastic measures.
KEYwords: Health policy; public health; infectious disease.
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