ⓒYONHAP News

Starting Wednesday, those undergoing at-home treatment after testing positive for COVID-19 are permitted to visit a pharmacy to pick up their medication and other medical supplies.

According to health authorities, the change came as the number of patients being treated at home has spiked amid the ongoing transmission of the omicron variant.

Prior to this change, only family members were allowed to pick up the medication after the patient received consultation from a physician over the phone.

The government also released a guideline to prevent an infectious spread during medication pickups, urging pharmacists to wear masks at all times and to minimize conversations with patients.

A review is underway on ways to deliver the medication without direct contact, such as by establishing a separate pick-up area for COVID-19 patients just outside of pharmacies.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Friday the government will make a timely decision on reclassifying the infectious disease level of COVID-19, which is currently defined as a Class One disease.

Chairing a government meeting on the COVID-19 response, Kim said the government will reach a decision based on various opinions so that the adjustment will fundamentally change how the virus is perceived and how it is tackled.

The government is currently mulling adjusting the infectious disease level of COVID-19 to Class Two, which includes chicken pox and measles.

A Class One designation is given to infectious diseases that have high mortality rates, or a high risk of causing cluster infections requiring immediate notification of cases and high-level isolation.

If the level is adjusted, the weeklong self-quarantine requirement for infected people could be eased or scrapped altogether.

Meanwhile, Kim noted that rapid antigen tests that were administered for free at COVID-19 test sites and public health centers nationwide will be discontinued from next week. He ordered local governments to swiftly send the personnel and resources that will become available with such a suspension to facilities at high risk of infection.