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| President Moon Jae-in attends a meeting on COVID-19 treatment and vaccine development at the Institut Pasteur Korea in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday./ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
The government promised Tuesday to give comprehensive support to local companies developing vaccines or drugs to combat COVID-19 to help them become among the first to produce a treatment for the novel coronavirus.
It said drugs for treatment and vaccines would be available as early as next year.
"Developing treatments and vaccines is a challenge we must overcome in order to stay safe from COVID-19," said Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official in charge of quarantine efforts against the pandemic, during a press conference.
Yoon said the National Institute of Health and local pharmaceutical company, Celltrion, were working on an antiviral medicine for coronavirus patients.
"They are aiming to start clinical trials for an antiviral drug sometime this year, and if that happens, the medicine could be on the market as early as next year," he said. "When it comes to plasma therapy, the institute is also conducting joint research with another company and they are seeking to be able to offer treatments within two or three months."
Plasma therapy involves injecting patients with COVID-19 antibodies harvested from people who have recovered from the disease. Those who recover from COVID-19 develop the antibodies which then give them immunity ― and by giving these to sick patients it is hoped they will help them also recover.
As far as vaccine development is concerned, Yoon said the government is assisting in a project expected to produce a marketable product by 2022.
Drug and vaccine developers are currently arguing that they need government regulations to be eased or lifted. Yoon said the government will launch a body to directly discuss regulatory hurdles with the developers.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 27 new infections Monday, bringing the country's total to 10,564, with a death toll of 222.
Among the 27, 12 involved patients who were infected outside Korea. Cases from overseas have become a big challenge for the KCDC. To curb the number, the government has closed the country's borders to all but essential travelers from many countries.
The government is also repeatedly reminding citizens of the importance of social-distancing, although the number of new cases seems to show the pandemic is being put under control.
"Take the example of Singapore. If you lower your guard too much, you can see another wave of infections. Please adhere to the social-distancing campaign. Especially on election day, we'd like to highly recommend you to vote and go straight back home," the KCDC said.
Singapore saw a secondary wave of infections skyrocket after loosening quarantine rules.
The KCDC also voiced concern that voting could unleash a new wave of infections and asked people to maintain personal hygiene guidelines when entering and leaving polling stations.
Those under self-quarantine will be allowed to vote after 6 p.m. when the polls closes for the general public. The authorities will monitor their movements via a smartphone app. For those who don't have the app, a local government will send a staff member to accompany them to polling stations or communicate with them through their phones.
