Korea sees resurgence of COVID-19 한국, 의무적인 방역수칙이 없는 상태에서 코로나19 재확산 예상

[김우정]

최근 7월부터 코로나19 입원환자가 급증하고있습니다.

코로나19 양성반응이 나온 사람들이 병가를 쓸 수 없어서 출근을 하고 있습니다.

김우주 고려대 감염내과 교수는 노인이나 기저질환자는 중증이나 사망에 이를 수 있다고 경고합니다.

우리들 각자 코로나19에 걸리지 않도록 노력하는 것이 해법일까요?

Korea sees resurgence of COVID-19 in absence of obligatory quarantine rules

한국, 의무적인 방역수칙이 없는 상태에서 코로나19 재확산 예상

By Lee Hae-rin 이혜린 기자
Posted : 2024-08-16 16:44 Updated : 2024-08-17 11:15
Korea Times

People wear masks at the Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju, Friday, amid a resurgence of COVID-19. Yonhap 코로나19가 재확산하는 가운데 28일 광주 전남대병원에서 사람들이 마스크를 쓰고 있다. 연합

Confirmed patients continue daily lives, infecting others
확진자들 다른 사람들을 감염시키며 일상생활

A Seoul-based office worker surnamed Kim, 34, recently tested positive for COVID-19 in a self-test but continued going to work, unlike the time she contracted the disease during the pandemic two years ago.
서울에 거주하는 직장인 김모(34)씨는 최근 자가검사에서 코로나19 양성 반응이 나왔지만 2년 전 팬데믹 때 감염됐을 때와 달리 출근을 계속했다.

“Resting at home because you are infected with COVID-19 is unimaginable these days. You will be lucky to get sick leave or a day off without getting on your boss’ nerves,” Kim said.
김씨는 "요즘 코로나19에 감염돼 집에서 쉬는 것은 상상할 수 없는 일"이라며 "상사의 신경에 거슬리지 않고 병가나 휴가를 내는 것은 행운일 것"이라고 말했다.

This is because COVID-19’s alert level as an infectious disease has been lowered and the use of sick leave due to the infectious disease is no longer mandated.
코로나19의 감염병 경계 수준이 낮아진 데다 감염병으로 인한 병가 사용이 더 이상 의무화되지 않았기 때문이다.

Lee, a 41-year-old office worker residing in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, also tested positive a week ago but continued going to work despite suffering from the symptoms.
경기 수원시에 거주하는 직장인 이모씨(41)도 일주일 전 검사에서 양성 반응이 나왔지만 증상을 겪으면서도 출근을 계속했다.

“We were banned from coming to the office during the pandemic so we could recover at home, but now that’s no longer true. I had to use my annual leave to take time off, so I had no choice but to endure in the office with a runny nose, cough and muscle aches,” he said.
그는 "팬데믹 기간 동안 사무실에 출근하는 것이 금지돼 집에서 회복할 수 있었지만 이제는 그렇지 않다며 연가를 사용해 휴가를 내야 했기 때문에 콧물과 기침, 근육통 등으로 사무실에서 버틸 수밖에 없었다"고 말했다.

Wearing a mask nowadays amid the heat wave is almost unbearable, he added, but he worried that he would infect others around him. So he endured and wore masks. 
그는 "폭염 속에서 요즘 마스크를 쓰는 것은 거의 참을 수 없는 일"이라면서도 "주변 사람들을 감염시킬까봐 걱정했다"고 덧붙였다. 그래서 그는 마스크를 참고 썼다.

Another worker surnamed Park, 48, felt COVID-like symptoms like muscle pain and sore throat about two weeks ago, but did not undergo testing and just took cold medicine. "The symptoms were manageable that I could continue going to the office for work. I didn't take the test, because if I tested positive, it would bother so many people around me. I still don't know whether it was COVID-19 or just a cold," he said.
또 다른 직장인 박모씨(48)는 2주 전쯤 근육통과 인후통 등 코로나19 유사 증상을 느꼈지만 검사는 받지 않고 감기약만 먹었다. 그는 "증상은 관리가 잘 돼 계속 회사에 출근할 수 있었다며 양성 판정을 받으면 주변에 너무 많은 사람이 신경 쓰이기 때문에 검사를 받지 않았다"고 말했다.

As seen in these cases, most people with COVID-19 symptoms do not get tested, and those who are confirmed positive continue their daily routines without any self-isolation or other quarantine measures.
이들 사례에서 보듯이 코로나19 증상이 있는 사람들은 대부분 검사를 받지 않고, 양성으로 확인된 사람들은 별다른 자가격리나 다른 격리 조치 없이 일상을 이어가고 있다.

This is largely because of eased quarantine regulations that no longer oblige self-distancing, mask wearing and other measures that had been in effect during the peak of the pandemic.
팬데믹이 한창일 때부터 시행됐던 자가 거리두기, 마스크 착용 등의 조치를 더 이상 의무화하지 않은 방역 규제 완화 덕분이다.

And this situation is believed to be driving the rapid resurgence of the virus this summer.
그리고 이러한 상황이 올 여름 바이러스의 빠른 재확산을 견인하고 있는 것으로 판단된다.

A notice at a pharmacy in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, reads that the pharmacy ran out of COVID-19 self-test kits amid a nationwide resurgence of the contagious disease, Friday. Yonhap 경북 경산에 있는 한 약국의 안내문에는 금요일 전국적으로 전염병이 재확산하는 가운데 약국에 코로나19 자가검사키트가 떨어졌다는 내용이 적혀 있다. 연합

According to a sample monitoring of 220 major hospitals by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the number of hospitalized patients this year with COVID-19 had continued to decline since the first week of February with 875 cases, but has been rising again since the end of June.
질병관리청(KDCA)이 주요 병원 220곳을 표본 모니터링한 결과 올해 코로나19 입원환자는 2월 첫째 주부터 875명으로 감소세를 이어오다 6월 말부터 다시 증가세를 보이고 있다.

In the second week of July, 148 people were hospitalized, and the figure increased to 226 in the third week, 475 in the fourth week and 861 in the first week of August — nearly doubling every week.
7월 둘째 주에는 148명이 입원했고, 셋째 주 226명, 넷째 주 475명, 8월 첫째 주 861명으로 매주 2배 가까이 늘었다.

The government is no longer tallying the daily number of patients but only counts the number of hospitalized patients.
정부는 더 이상 하루 환자 수를 집계하지 않고 입원 환자 수만 집계하고 있다.

The actual number of infected people is presumed to be much higher than the tallied one, considering those who test positive but continue their daily routines or who just get through the disease without knowing they are infected.
양성 판정을 받았지만 일상생활을 이어가거나 감염 사실을 모른 채 그냥 넘어가는 이들을 고려하면 실제 감염자 수는 집계된 사람보다 훨씬 많을 것으로 추정된다.

The health authorities, however, are maintaining the current alert level, believing it is not yet necessary to raise it. It is only emphasizing the compliance of personal hygiene rules, such as mask-wearing and regular ventilation in indoor facilities.
보건당국은 그러나 아직 상향 조정이 필요하지 않다고 보고 현재의 경계 수준을 유지하고 있다. 실내 시설에서 마스크 착용과 주기적인 환기 등 개인위생 수칙 준수를 강조하고 있을 뿐이다.

Since August last year, government support for confirmed cases and inpatient treatment was drastically reduced. The government no longer gives financial support to companies that provide paid leave to infected workers.
지난해 8월부터 확진자와 입원 치료에 대한 정부 지원이 대폭 축소됐다. 정부는 감염 근로자에게 유급 휴가를 제공하는 기업에 더 이상 재정 지원을 하지 않는다.

From May this year when the COVID-19 alert level reached its lowest, confirmed patients were recommended to self-quarantine until 24 hours after improvement of major symptoms, an eased rule from the previous five-day quarantine. Still this is a recommendation, not mandatory.
코로나19 경계 수준이 최저치를 기록한 올해 5월부터는 주요 증상이 호전된 뒤 24시간까지 자가격리를 권고했는데, 이는 권고사항이지 의무사항은 아니다.

Under such circumstances, those at highest risk, such as older adults in nursing facilities, show concerns.
이런 상황에서 요양시설에 있는 노인 등 위험도가 가장 높은 이들은 우려를 보인다.

"The elderly we take care of are among those with the weakest immunity," said a Seoul-based elderly care facility worker surnamed Jeong. "We are paying more attention, wearing masks, due to concerns about the recent spread of 'dark transmission.'"
서울에 거주하는 노인요양시설 종사자 정모씨는 "우리가 돌보는 어르신들은 면역력이 가장 약한 분들"이라며 "최근 '암흑 전파' 확산이 우려돼 마스크를 착용하는 등 더욱 신경을 쓰고 있다"고 말했다

Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, "Young people can suffer COVID-19 lightly, but the problem is that it can lead older adults and those with underlying diseases to critical illness or death."
김우주 고대구로병원 감염내과 교수는 "젊은이들은 코로나19를 가볍게 겪을 수 있지만, 노인이나 기저질환자를 위중한 질병이나 사망으로 이끌 수 있다는 점이 문제"라고 말했다.

He worried the number of deaths could increase if the virus spreads to nursing homes with many immunocompromised people.
그는 면역력이 떨어지는 사람들이 많은 요양원으로 바이러스가 퍼지면 사망자가 늘어날 수 있다고 우려했다.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government said that the culture of resting when sick should be settled, but looking at the current situation, it seems that is not yet the case," he said. "The government's support has disappeared, so how can small and medium-sized enterprises tell employees to rest at home when they are sick? Each of us has to be careful, but it will not be easy."
그는 "코로나19 팬데믹 때 정부가 아프면 쉬는 문화가 정착돼야 한다고 했는데 지금 상황을 보면 아직은 그렇지 않은 것 같다"고 말했다. 이어 "정부의 지원이 사라졌는데 중소기업들이 어떻게 직원들이 아프면 집에서 쉬라고 할 수 있겠느냐"며 "우리 각자 조심해야 하는데 쉽지 않을 것"이라고 덧붙였다.

#COVID-19코로나19 #Resurgence재확산 #Quarantine격리 #Infectiousdisease감염병 #Self-isolation자가격리 #Mask-wearing마스크착용 #Ventilation환기 #Immunity면역력 #Elderlycarefacility노인요양시설 #Darktransmission암흑전파