Korea struggling to cope with increasing COVID-19 deaths

Workers install shipping container medical rooms at Seoul Medical Center in Seoul, Thursday, as part of measures to secure more hospital beds amid the third wave of COVID-19 infections here. / Yonhap

Country's daily virus cases top 1,000 for 2nd day

By Jun Ji-hye

Korea is suffering from a rising number of deaths related to COVID-19 with the country being hit by the third wave of infections for almost a month.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Thursday, the nation added 22 COVID-19-related deaths, Wednesday, raising the death toll to 634 with a fatality rate of 1.36 percent. This was another new daily high since the country reported its first case in January, and a sharp increase from 12 deaths reported Tuesday.

The KDCA noted that the number of critically ill patients has been also increasing amid a continuous surge in infections, noting that patients in a serious condition rose by 16 to 242, which may lead to more deaths in the near future.

As the country's response system for controlling virus infections and treating patients is reaching its limits amid an explosive increase in new daily cases, a patient in his 60s in Seoul died Tuesday while waiting for hospitalization after the confirmation of infection last Saturday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.

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According to the KDCA, the country added 1,014 more COVID-19 infections for Wednesday, raising the total caseload to 46,453, after reporting 1,078 infections the day before.

This is the first time that the nation's virus cases have surpassed the 1,000 mark for the second day in a row.

Among the 1,014 new cases, the number of locally transmitted infections stood at 993, and among them, those in the Seoul metropolitan area that includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province totaled 784.

The KDCA said the average daily number of new cases over the past week was 882.6.

This satisfies the conditions for Level 3 social distancing rules ― the highest level under the government's five-tier system ― to be imposed. Level 3 should be imposed when the daily number of local infections stands at between 800 and 1,000, or the daily tally doubles from the previous day, according to a previous announcement by the administration.

But the government has yet to make a decision, apparently being mindful of economic damage that the toughest antivirus measure would cause to small business owners.

"Raising distancing rules would be able to create an effect, but at the same time will cause side effects including economic damage," Lee Sang-won, a senior official at the KDCA, said at a briefing.

This belated move is drawing criticism from health experts who have called the government to adopt Level 3 immediately before the country's medical capability runs out.

Experts also raised the need for Level 3 to be imposed on the entire country, not just the Seoul metropolitan area.

"Level 3 measures will reduce places where people can visit, and this will inevitably lead more people to participate in social distancing," said Chun Eun-mi, a pulmonologist at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital. "The measures should be imposed on the entire country to see an effect."

The KDCA said the administration is carrying out in-depth discussions with local governments and experts to decide on whether to adopt Level 3, noting that there has been advice that most stores excluding essential ones such as pharmacies and supermarkets should be closed, and that indoor dining at restaurants should be banned.

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