Amid the soaring number of COVID-19 infections, patients in their 50s with preexisting conditions will be excluded from the “high-risk” group subject to government monitoring twice a day.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced the decision on Tuesday, stating that because the fatality rate among COVID-19 patients in their 50s is close to zero percent, they will be shifted to the low-risk group beginning Wednesday. Under this classification, treatment will be carried out at local clinics and hospitals.

The decision also comes as the prescription of antiviral pills has been expanded to local clinics designated as respiratory clinics nationwide. Those in the low-risk group can access the pills at those clinics when deemed necessary.

Patients in their 60s and those with weak immune systems will remain in the high-risk group. 

The government had previously set the largest manageable number of high-risk patients at 280-thousand. It now plans to increase that number to over 320-thousand people by designating 120 additional medical institutions to monitor the group.