"A gift for an adult, a nightmare for a child" Omicron's risk is different

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Let's talk a little bit more about this with medical reporter Cho Dong-chan.

[Dongchan Cho/Medical Reporter (specialist): France's top quarantine expert said that Omicron is a gift for adults and a nightmare for children. If you look at the UK, France, and Spain where Omicron is sweeping, the number of hospitalized patients is close to the bottom even though the number of adult confirmed cases has increased significantly. You could call it a gift. However, hospitalizations are also increasing in proportion to the rapid increase in the number of patients aged 9 or 5 years old. It seems that we, too, are hospitalized for infants under the age of 5, and we need to prepare well.]

[Cho Dong-chan / Medical reporter (specialist): This is because Omicron stays in the nose and throat without going to the lungs. Teenagers and adults can breathe even with a stuffy nose, and if this doesn't work, they can breathe through their mouth. However, children under the age of 5 do not work well and fall into hypoxia. If that happens, your lips and nails will turn blue while you sneeze and runny nose, and you will catch your breath while coughing sharply. The American research team analyzed that the outbreak of Omicron is similar to the pandemic of the common cold that threatens children.]

[Cho Dong-chan / Medical reporter (specialist): Omicron's countermeasure is a speed war. A quick response is the most important thing. I will listen to Professor Oh Myung-don of Seoul National University.]

[Oh Myeong-don/Chairman of the Central Clinical Committee for Emerging Infectious Diseases: (Omicron) rapid antigen testing should also be introduced.]

[Cho Dong-chan/Medical Reporter (specialist): According to recent Harvard University research results, Omicron is more effective than Delta. Because it is so fast, the transmission power reaches its maximum immediately after infection and drops off after 5 days.

Therefore, the medication should be taken within 5 days of symptom onset, and in the end, a quick diagnosis is essential to respond to Omicron.]

[Dongchan Cho/Medical Reporter (specialist): It is said that rapid testing spreads the corona virus. The claim was made two years ago.

There is no basis.

There is no country that has not introduced a rapid test, for example, the flu test results are available in 15 minutes.

That's the sensitivity, so the accuracy is about 60%. After this test, we overcame the flu by taking Tamiflu, because this cannot be said to be the cause of the spread of the flu.

For Omicron, it is most important for all people to respond quickly in their daily life.]

(Video editing: Won-hee Won, CG: Jae-young Choi, So-min Eom)

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