As the number of COVID-19 patients increases rapidly, it has come to a situation where it is impossible to obtain COVID-19 treatment and diagnostic kits, even if one wants to. The demand for cold medicines and painkillers, which were sold out during each coronavirus outbreak, has increased and pharmaceutical companies have started operating their production plants at full capacity.
According to relevant industries, on the 18th, Daewon Pharmaceutical and Yuhan Corporation recently began fully operating their cold medicine production plants as there were signs of a resurgence of COVID-19.
Daewon Pharmaceutical's cold medicine brand "Kol Daewon," Yuhan Corporation's cough expectorant "Kodaewon," and cough expectorant "Kopu Syrup" are drugs that have been consistently out of stock during the latest outbreak.
The industry says that while there are currently no overall concerns about the supply of cold medicines, there is some hoarding by some pharmacies due to concerns about supply shortages.
A pharmaceutical industry official said, "Recently, the demand for cold medicines has increased rapidly and we are operating at full capacity. He added, "There is no shortage of cold medicines and painkillers across the country, but there is one." A shortage in some pharmacies and panic buying is also happening due to anxiety, so the third shift is available "it is operating at full capacity," he said.
Over the past four weeks, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has nearly doubled each week, from 226 in the third week of July to 472 in the fourth week of July, to 869 in the first week of August, and to 1,357 in the second week of August, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The number of 1,357 people in the second week of August is the highest level this year.
People aged 65 and over account for the largest number of hospitalized patients with 65.4%, followed by those aged 50 to 64 with 18.2%.
This outbreak is driven by the KP.3 mutant virus, a subfamily of Omicron. The share of KP.3 mutation was 45.5 % last month, an increase of 33.4 percentage points (P) compared with June. KP.3 is showing an increasing trend worldwide, and the World Health Organization (HWO) is also monitoring it as a surveillance mutation.
The supply of COVID-19 treatments such as Paxrovid and Lagebrio is in dire need. According to data received from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency by People's Power Party MP Jia Han of the Social Welfare Committee, the number of applications for corona treatment from pharmacies and medical institutions across the country in the first week of August was 198,000 people; but the supply was only for 33,000 people. This accounts for about 16.7% of the application volume. These drugs are recommended for high-risk groups such as the elderly and immunocompromised.
As demand for cold medicines has also increased, Hong Jeong-ik, director of the infectious disease policy department at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, "If the symptoms are similar, you can take cold medicine instead of COVID-19 treatment," adding, "Most young people can control it with painkillers like general respiratory infections."
A pharmacist based in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul said, "Concerns about the supply and demand of cold medicines and painkillers are not due to a lack of supply but to hoarding by some pharmacies. There will be no stock - a situation like last year."
He continued, “But the situation is different when it comes to diagnostic kits and treatments,” adding, “The diagnostic kit used to cost 2,000 won per unit (pack of 2), but the price has increased to 4,000 won, and now even if you order it for 4,800 won, you can’t receive it. The product is really bad.” “It’s not that they don’t exist, but it’s worrying, like masks at the beginning of COVID-19. It seems that middlemen don’t release products until prices increase further,” he said.
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