Gov't eases standard for releasing virus patients

Disinfection company officials disinfect a food court at a department store in Daejeon, Thursday, after one of the employees there tested positive for COVID-19. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

The government eased the standard for releasing COVID-19 patients from hospitals on Thursday amid growing concerns about a possible lack of beds for critically ill patients following a string of infection clusters that have continued to occur here since May.

Under the new standard, the health authorities began allowing asymptomatic patients to be released from quarantine although they show an initial positive test result, if they have no symptoms associated with the coronavirus, such as a fever, for 10 days from the day of the initial COVID-19 diagnosis.

For patients with symptoms, the new standard calls on them to be released from isolation under two conditions ― 10 days have passed since the diagnosis, and they have shown no symptoms ― and without taking a fever-reduction medication for three days in a row.

Previously, patients were released from quarantine only when they were symptom-free and had two negative test results on two consecutive days.

The patients released from the special hospitals under these conditions are allowed to return home or moved to community treatment centers that have served as temporary hospitals to treat patients with minor symptoms, in accordance with their condition.

The government said the new standard was designed to secure sufficient hospital beds for those severely affected by the disease and help medical staff focus better on treating them.

The health authorities said applying the new standard is expected to alleviate the burden on “special” hospitals by about one third.

“The number of days of hospital treatment for COVID-19 patients is expected to decrease to 13 from 28 on average under the new standards,” senior health official Yoon Tae-ho said in a briefing.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the country added 28 new cases ― 23 local and five imported ones, Wednesday, raising the nation's total to 12,563.

One more death was reported, raising the death toll to 282.

The daily number of new cases fell back to below 30, but the authorities are still on high alert over fears of a second wave of infections amid continuous sporadic infection clusters in the greater Seoul area and other regions.

The KCDC said 13 more cases traced to door-to-door sales companies in the southern city of Daejeon were reported as of noon Thursday, raising the total number of related cases to 71.

A new infection cluster also occurred involving a social club meeting of car enthusiasts, the KCDC said, noting that at least five patients were traced to the recent gathering of the club near the Han River.