Changes in outpatient prescriptions in Gwangju and Jeolla South Korea 2020

Nearly all surveyed drug sellers (i.e. pharmacists) in the city of Gwangju and the provinces of North and South Jeolla indicated a decrease, whether small or large, in outpatient prescriptions following the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea in early 2020. Unlike the other regions, however, the share of drug sellers who saw decreases of over 30 percent was lower than in other regions, while the share of those who saw no change or even increases in prescriptions was about twice as high as in other regions. The overall decrease is attributed to fewer hospital visits in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, but Gwangju and Jeolla seem to have been less affected than other regions.