Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link

Volume 31, Number 8—August 2025

Online Report

Optimal Timing for Expanding Diagnostic Laboratories, South Korea

Jae-Sun Park, Gab Jung Kim, and Sang Won LeeComments to Author 
Author affiliation: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, South Korea

Main Article

Figure 1

Epidemiologic curve of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) cases and tests in South Korea during May–July 2015. A) Epidemiologic curve according to date of MERS symptom onset in patients, adapted from KDCA report (4). B) Number of daily tests for MERS, adapted from Ministry of Health and Welfare white paper (5). Gray arrows indicate expansion dates of new testing facilities. Red line with numbers indicates newly positive laboratory results. KDCA, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; lab, laboratory; RIHE, Research Institute of Health and Environment.

Figure 1. Epidemiologic curve of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) cases and tests in South Korea during May–July 2015. A) Epidemiologic curve according to date of MERS symptom onset in patients, adapted from KDCA report (4). B) Number of daily tests for MERS, adapted from Ministry of Health and Welfare white paper (5). Gray arrows indicate expansion dates of new testing facilities. Red line with numbers indicates newly positive laboratory results. KDCA, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; lab, laboratory; RIHE, Research Institute of Health and Environment.

Main Article

References
  1. Group of Seven, Pandemic Preparedness Partnership. 100 Days Mission to respond to future pandemic threats. Jun 12, 2021 [cited 2023 Oct 11]. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/992762/100_Days_Mission_to_respond_to_future_pandemic_threats__3_.pdf
  2. Mathieu  E, Ritchie  H, Rodés-Guirao  L, Appel  C, Gavrilov  D, Giattino  C, et al. COVID-19 pandemic [cited 2023 Oct 11]. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus
  3. Yang  S, Jang  J, Park  SY, Ahn  SH, Kim  SS, Park  SB, et al. COVID-19 outbreak report from January 20, 2020 to January 19, 2022 in the Republic of Korea. Public Health Wkly Rep. 2022;15:796–805.
  4. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak in the Republic of Korea, 2015. Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2015;6:269–78. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Ministry of Health and Welfare. The 2015 MERS outbreak in the Republic of Korea: learning from MERS (in Korean). Jul 29, 2016 [cited 2023 Oct 11]. https://www.mohw.go.kr/board.es?mid=a10411010100&bid=0019&tag=&act=view&list_no=337407
  6. Park  JS, Choi  YS, Yoo  CK. Emergency use authorization of in-vitro diagnostics for infectious disease. Public Health Wkly Rep. 2017;10:555–9.
  7. Kim  JH, An  JAR, Min  PK, Bitton  A, Gawande  AA. How South Korea responded to the Covid-19 outbreak in Daegu. NEJM Catal Innov Care Deliv. 2020;1:. DOIGoogle Scholar
  8. Sung  H, Yoo  CK, Han  MG, Lee  SW, Lee  H, Chun  S, et al. Preparedness and rapid implementation of external quality assessment helped quickly increase COVID-19 testing capacity in the Republic of Korea. Clin Chem. 2020;66:979–81. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  9. Hong  KH, Lee  SW, Kim  TS, Huh  HJ, Lee  J, Kim  SY, et al. Guidelines for laboratory diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Korea. Ann Lab Med. 2020;40:351–60. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  10. Hong  KH, Kim  GJ, Roh  KH, Sung  H, Lee  J, Kim  SY, et al.; COVID-19 Task Force, the Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine and the Bureau of Infectious Disease Diagnosis Control, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Update of guidelines for laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 in Korea. Ann Lab Med. 2022;42:391–7. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  11. Sung  H, Roh  KH, Hong  KH, Seong  MW, Ryoo  N, Kim  HS, et al. COVID-19 molecular testing in Korea: practical essentials and answers from experts based on experiences of emergency use authorization assays. Ann Lab Med. 2020;40:439–47. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar

Main Article

Page created: June 23, 2025
Page updated: July 22, 2025
Page reviewed: July 22, 2025
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external