The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) plans to secure some 40-thousand doses of oral COVID-19 antiviral medication ahead of the public's return to their daily routines amid a global pandemic.

KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong, during a parliamentary audit session on Thursday, vowed to secure as much COVID-19 medication as possible, asking parliament for financial assistance as part of the government's shift to life “With COVID-19.” 

Some 16-point-eight billion won in this year’s budget and 19-point-four billion won in next year’s budget has been set aside to procure the treatment.

As COVID-19 is designated as a Class 1 infectious disease, all costs are covered by the state.

The government is currently in talks with global and local drug makers while closely monitoring the development of various other treatments.