"Outdoor mask. It's safe to keep wearing it if you're 60 or older and haven't been vaccinated"

Most of the outdoor "no masks" are allowed from the 2nd, but masks have been actively recommended outdoors for high-risk groups of COVID-19. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and medical experts stressed that the elderly aged 60 or older, non-vaccinated people, and immunocompromised people should wear masks outdoors.

As of the 1st, about 9.81 million people (76.1% of the age group) in Korea have never had COVID-19. Among the new confirmed patients in the past week (April 25 to May 1), 23.6% of those aged 60 or older accounted for. According to the UK Health and Safety Administration (UKHSA), the "infectious prevention effect" of the vaccine almost disappears after five months (20 weeks) of the third inoculation. Most of the elderly aged 60 or older in Korea were vaccinated for the third time in December last year. About five months have already passed since the third vaccination, and there is a concern that the vaccination effect will decrease.

Experts advised that they should determine whether to wear a mask according to their situation. Kim Yoon, a professor at Seoul National University Medical School, said, "If you live with a high-risk group of COVID-19, such as grandmothers and grandfathers, it is better to use it outdoors."

The quarantine authorities actively recommend wearing a mask to prevent the risk of transmission when there are suspected symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and cough. In addition, it is recommended to wear a mask even when it is difficult to keep a distance of more than 1m outdoors and when a lot of droplets occur due to exercise or shouting.

Amid the growing COVID-19 epidemic in the United States, the Washington Post (WP) published an editorial on the 29th (local time) that it should not be optimistic about ending the COVID-19 pandemic. WP pointed out, "We don't know when another mutation will appear with some contagiousness and seriousness." The New York Times (NYT) reported that 47 out of 50 states in the U.S. are increasing the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, self-inspection kits can be purchased online from the 1st. Earlier on the 4th of last month, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also lifted the price designation (6,000 won) for self-test kits. On the 1st, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed patients in Korea was 37,771. The number dropped by nearly 30,000 from 64,704 a week ago.

Date: 2022-05-01

Reporter: 신정훈