The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    BTS stars shine brighter as solo artists

  • 3

    N. Korea holds politburo meeting to discuss Kim-Putin summit: KCNA

  • 5

    30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data

  • 7

    Rowoon leaves SF9 to focus on acting career

  • 9

    Korea urged to adopt China exit strategy amid hegemonic war

  • 11

    INTERVIEWPutin uses summit with NK leader to stop Seoul from helping Ukraine: expert

  • 13

    Netflix's 'Song of the Bandits' blends western action with Korean period series

  • 15

    Unfreezing of funds not likely to restore Korea-Iran ties

  • 17

    Merck emphasizes digitalization in semiconductor market

  • 19

    All BTS members renew contracts with HYBE: agency

  • 2

    '30 Days' promises laughter, unlikely romance

  • 4

    North Korean escapees tell how nuclear tests ruined their health, hometown

  • 6

    ITZY's Lia takes break to put mental health first

  • 8

    USFK soldier, 2 women arrested for drug trafficking

  • 10

    Seventeen to drop 11th EP next month

  • 12

    Foreign ministry asks Japan to investigate case of Korean poisoned with bleach in Tokyo

  • 14

    Lamborghini driver suspect sent to prosecutors over parking dispute in Gangnam

  • 16

    Seoul plans to build Jamsil Sports MICE Complex

  • 18

    Invasion of 'smart' albums

  • 20

    National Assembly passes motion to arrest DPK chief

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Fri, September 22, 2023 | 14:21
Politics
Key rule in public health crisis: communication
Posted : 2020-07-22 17:20
Updated : 2020-07-24 15:06
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
                                                                                                 A healthcare worker takes a specimen from a passenger at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital compound in Daegu, Feb. 27. /Korea Times file
A healthcare worker takes a specimen from a passenger at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital compound in Daegu, Feb. 27. /Korea Times file

This is the fourth in a five-part series on Korea's response to COVID-19, produced in collaboration with the Korea Foundation _ ED.

By Kim Se-jeong

                                                                                                 A healthcare worker takes a specimen from a passenger at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital compound in Daegu, Feb. 27. /Korea Times file
Late in the night of Feb. 18, directors of big hospitals in Daegu including the Kyungpook National University, Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan were all active in a Kakao group chat with the city's mayor and other officials.

Earlier in the day, the city's first COVID-19 case had been confirmed, followed by 10 additional cases through the night.

Medical doctors, including Min Pok-kee, a dermatologist and the vice president of Daegu Medical Association, stressed the priority would be getting enough beds and shared ideas.

The next morning, Min called Cho Chi-heum, director of the Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan Hospital, and got his agreement to empty out one of their two medical centers to receive only patients suffering from COVID-19.

At the time, Daegu only had 25 patient beds in an area with negative pressure ventilation installed.

Min also called the Armed Forces Daegu Hospital located just outside the city for help in getting extra beds ready and wrote letters to the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Health and Welfare requesting approval for the plans.

By Feb. 24, six days after the first case had been reported in Daegu, the Armed Forces Daegu Hospital had 303 beds with negative pressure ventilation, and Dongsan Hospital had almost 400 rooms ready for COVID-19 patients.

Those who were in the Kakao group chat were members of Medi-City Daegu, an association founded in 2009 to improve the quality of medical services for residents and promote quality medical services for patients outside Korea, and they had been routinely communicating through offline meetings and online chats.

                                                                                                 A healthcare worker takes a specimen from a passenger at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital compound in Daegu, Feb. 27. /Korea Times file
Min Pok-kee, a dermatologist and the vice president of Daegu Medical Association/ Courtesy of Min Pok-kee
"Without the communication among members of Medi-City Daegu and the fast decision-making process, the COVID-19 outbreak in Daegu would have resulted in a collapse of the city's medical system and a mega-size medical crisis for the country," Min said during an interview with The Korea Times.

Min headed the Daegu Medical Association's response to the COVID-19 pandemic which gave him a rare opportunity to see the city's response to the virus from the first day.

Min also noted Medi-City Daegu's network in China for Daegu's successful response.

"As early as January, we had information from China that many people had been dying from a virus whose infection route and source were unknown. We knew for sure that Korea would come under attack because of its vicinity and Medi-City Daegu members were already discussing how to respond to it."

Daegu experienced the worst of the country's pandemic.

Following its first case on Feb. 18, the number of accumulated infection cases spiked to 1,017 by Feb. 27. On Feb. 29 alone, 741 new cases were reported. Most of the patients were members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus and those who had been in contact with them.

However, on April 10, less than two months after the first case was reported, the number of new cases went down to zero. As of Monday, the total number of infected cases in Daegu was 6,934, with 186 deaths. Nationwide, the total number of cases was 11,704 with 296 deaths on Sunday.

Daegu's success offers essential instruction for Korea's successful COVID-19 response which has been praised by government officials and healthcare service providers from many countries around the world grappling with the new infectious disease. It proves the importance of communication in a crisis.

The core pillars of Korea's anti-COVID-19 efforts are aggressive virus testing and actively tracing the whereabouts of patients' contacts in order to contain the spread of the virus.

Daegu had the aggressive testing too.

The city had a drive-thru testing facility, the nation's first, installed at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, Feb. 22. By March 13, it had become a national standard for such virus testing facilities.

"This enabled increased testing. With our existing equipment and human resources, we could only take a maximum 640 specimens per day," Min said. By July 5, 288,713 virus tests had been done.

What other cities didn't have was healthcare service providers moving around the city taking specimens from people with disabilities.

"Almost 400 public health doctors ― including medical students doing their military service ― were dispatched to Daegu from all over Korea and they moved from one city's elderly care facility to the next and a home of one Shincheonji Church of Jesus member to the next to take specimens," Min said. "They really did a lot of work. They're unsung heroes."

And the city authorities were busy tracking phone calls of the patients to find potential virus carriers.

Min also noted the work of officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Infection (KCDC) in the field in facilitating the response effort.

For example, they required the emergency rooms in Daegu to stay closed for two days after receiving each virus patient for quarantine.

"But how can they stay closed for two days when you only have a limited number of ERs in the city? With so many new cases every day that could mean all the ERs closed. Also, keeping ERs closed presented risks to other patients needing urgent care," Min said.

The health ministry and KCDC officers in Daegu took note of changes that were needed urgently and communicated with colleagues at their headquarters so that the rules could be revised.

"We needed rule changes and saw them happening," Min recalled.




Emailskim@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
miguel
Top 10 Stories
130 people purchased 8,000 homes: data 30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data
2National Assembly passes motion to arrest DPK chiefNational Assembly passes motion to arrest DPK chief
3Gender equality minister nominee in hot seat over remarks on abortion Gender equality minister nominee in hot seat over remarks on abortion
4Seoul invites ambassadors to introduce new halal foods in Korea Seoul invites ambassadors to introduce new halal foods in Korea
5S. Korea condemns Russia, seeks to mend ties with China S. Korea condemns Russia, seeks to mend ties with China
6KG Mobility seeks breakthrough in Europe KG Mobility seeks breakthrough in Europe
7Honey-dipped cookie to represent 'K-desserts' at global food expo in Germany Honey-dipped cookie to represent 'K-desserts' at global food expo in Germany
8COVID-19 deaths hit record high in Korea for 2022 COVID-19 deaths hit record high in Korea for 2022
9Shilla hotel in Da Nang recognized at World Travel Awards Shilla hotel in Da Nang recognized at World Travel Awards
10Civil servant mentor reappointed as labor ministry spokesmanCivil servant mentor reappointed as labor ministry spokesman
Top 5 Entertainment News
1BTS defies K-pop's 'seven-year curse' BTS defies K-pop's 'seven-year curse'
2Aespa's VR concert to hit theaters Oct. 25 Aespa's VR concert to hit theaters Oct. 25
3Gang Dong-won becomes exorcist con artist in 'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman' Gang Dong-won becomes exorcist con artist in 'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman'
4[INTERVIEW] Virtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels INTERVIEWVirtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels
5Hebrew University students travel to Korea to explore musical landscape Hebrew University students travel to Korea to explore musical landscape
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group