The secret to South Korea’s Covid success? Combining high tech with human touch

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aaccording to recent house of commons report On Britain’s response to the pandemic, one of the government’s major failures was to recognize that the success of countries such as South Korea in controlling the virus could not be replicated in Britain. This decision to ignore approaches that were proving successful elsewhere was one of the largest UK oversights at the start of the pandemic.

However, the report itself falls into a similar trap. It considers South Korea’s response to the pandemic extraordinary due to its advanced use of digital technology, ignoring the fact that the country also relies on old-fashioned social interventions – contact tracing, quarantines and isolated cases – on the ground. But aided by shoes.

To combat COVID and future pandemics, governments need to heed the lessons of these social interventions, not just the technological ones. South Korea teaches us that high-tech solutions can help prevent disease, but they work in tandem with social interventions – interventions that the UK has not used effectively.

what the world-beating system looks like

The UK government had “an ambition to create”world beating“Test-trace-isolate system. Yet the House of Commons report concludes that England’s system has made little impact despite much expense. Other countries have not been able to adequately contain COVID without recourse.” harsh lockdown. However, South Korea Used to be regularly quoted as an exception.

While South Korea has had to introduce some control measures To limit the spread of the virus – curfews for businesses and limits on the size of gatherings in 2021 – it has avoided complete lockdowns and border closures while keeping cumulative confirmed COVID cases. Relatively low. It is worth remembering that South Korea is one of the world’s most densely populated Big countries.

Key to this are the quarantine measures for travelers arriving in the country, which were introduced very rapidly, and the country’s highly effective test-trace-isolate system. This carefully designed process Provides local support for those living in isolation, while monitoring and approving non-compliance.

Yes, mobile phone data And other types of surveillance have been used to trace people who may have had the virus. But once a positive case is confirmed, it is human intervention that ensures that they do not spread the virus further.

A case officer from the local council is appointed to work with the affected families. During self-isolation, they communicate with infected people. After initially being contacted by phone to inform people about the need to self-isolate and follow guidelines, case officers then distribute a stay-at-home kit In a prudent manner as possible to protect the privacy of the individual.

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Funded by the local council, this kit contains essentials that prevent the person from needing to go outside. They receive food, drinks, bin liners, a thermometer to monitor their condition, and face masks and hand sanitizer to help prevent further infection. kits can also be AccordingThis includes, for example, certain foods or medicines – and even pet food.

The case officer is the primary point of contact with the infected person, providing advice and support during the 14-day self-isolation. Again, technology plays a role here. a smartphone app Can be used by the case officer to monitor the individual’s self-reported symptoms and ensure (via GPS) that they are not breaking the quarantine. But its effect should not be exaggerated. The app is mandatory, but those who don’t have a smartphone are still able to get support via phone calls and text messages.

Self-isolating people can contact their case worker when additional help is needed, for example, with an urgent daily business such as banking or pet care. Because the relationship works both ways, it encourages compliance through the creation of a social bond. The comprehensive and individualized support given to isolates primarily ensures compliance by removing barriers rather than punishing violations.

There was also a need to address the loss of income caused to self-isolating quickly recognized, readily available with a nominal payment of up to $US374 (£270).

The effectiveness of these interventions is clear: published data suggest non-compliance with self-isolation rules has become too low During the pandemic in South Korea. Those who break the rules run the risk of losing the financial aid provided by the government.

Non-breaking of rules is also encouraged as a social norm through daily reporting in the media number of people Not following the separation. Normally, that’s no more than four people a day – in a country of 55 million.

lesson not learned yet

The South Korean experience shows how effective a locally distributed and individually tailored self-isolation system can be. But instead of trying to replicate the South Korean success, politicians, experts and the media in the West have repeatedly suggested what this performance is based on. intrusive data-surveillance technology a. enabled by obedient national culture He cannot be replicated in their countries.

There are concerns about the use of high-tech surveillance systems and widespread digital contact tracing to learn if the UK were to attempt to emulate South Korea, the House of Commons report suggests. It misses many of the core elements of South Korea’s pandemic response that helped ensure that people isolate and quarantine as needed.

The focus on technologies for future adoption ignores more immediately transferable lessons on how to break the chains of infection in a rapidly growing pandemic. The time has come for us to recognize that a comprehensive, “shoe-leather” public health system should be the basis for preventing disease outbreaks in the present and in the future. What has worked in South Korea is exceptional only in other countries – such as the UK – that have made no effort to replicate.

chun key checker, Senior Research Associate, Health Research Division, Lancaster University; Joshua R Moon, Research Fellow, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, And Michael Hopkins, senior Lecturer, University of Sussex

This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article.

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