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| A man goes through COVID-19 testing at a temporary testing facility at Seoul Station, Sunday. In a bid to preemptively find asymptomatic carriers of the virus through random testing, the government has been installing temporary testing facilities at about 150 locations in the capital area since last week. / Yonhap |
Country's daily virus cases record new high at 1,097
By Jun Ji-hye
Hospitals in Korea are facing more serious intensive care unit (ICU) bed shortages for seriously ill COVID-19 patients amid the third wave of infections, with some having died of the disease while waiting to be admitted to hospitals.
According to the health authorities, Sunday, a man in his 60s in the Seoul's Guro District died at about 10 p.m. Saturday, while waiting at home for hospitalization after being confirmed with the infection earlier in the day, at a time when the country's medical capability for treating coronavirus patients is reaching its limits amid an explosive increase in new cases day after day.
The report came a few days after another man in his 60s in the capital's Dongdaemun District died, Dec. 15, while waiting for hospitalization, four days after he was confirmed to have COVID-19.
The authorities said at least six patients have died of the disease while waiting to be admitted to hospitals this month alone, as of Friday, raising concerns over a continuous rise in the figure as the number of patients requiring intensive care keeps on increasing.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the nation added 1,097 more COVID-19 infections including 1,072 locally transmitted cases for Saturday, raising the total caseload to 49,665.
The number of infections has now surpassed the 1,000 mark for five consecutive days, with the latest daily figure hitting a new record high since the country reported its first case in January.
Among the local cases, 776 were from the Seoul metropolitan area that includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.
The nation also added 15 COVID-19-related deaths, raising the death toll to 674; and three more critically ill patients, raising the total to 278.
The KDCA said the number of patients in a serious condition has been rapidly increasing this month ― from 101, Dec. 1, to 205, Dec. 14, and 278, Saturday.
It noted that only 38 ICU beds were available across the country as of the same day, with the Seoul metropolitan area suffering the most serious shortages ― two and one ICU beds were left in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, respectively, while there were none in the capital.
In a desperate effort to prepare more ICU beds to prevent additional fatalities, the government issued an administrative order, Friday, asking private hospitals to set aside a certain portion of theirs for serious COVID-19 cases.
"We expect more than 318 beds for seriously ill virus patients to be secured through the administrative order," Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said during a media briefing. "The government will also pay 5 billion won ($4.5 million) to private hospitals specially designated to treat COVID-19 patients."
Chun Byung-chul, an epidemiologist at Korea University, said, "Delay in treatment for virus patients will inevitably lead to an increase in the number of deaths. Patients at high risk should be under preventative care."
The government's administrative order, however, is drawing a backlash from some hospitals that raised concerns over possible shortages of beds for other patients in serious condition such as cancer patients.
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