Overloaded 'Giant Ward' Daegu

Cumulative 84 Patients... Limits in Diagnosis and Treatment
School Opening Delayed, Public Institutions and Emergency Rooms Closed
Only 88 Negative Pressure Beds... Already Full
Mayor Kwon Young-jin Appeals "Insufficient to Prevent Infection"
Economy Also Hit Hard, Some Agricultural and Fishery Markets Closed

[Asia Economy (Daegu) = Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] On the 21st, with 50 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Daegu, the city is practically resembling a massive infectious disease ward. Daegu is facing the most severe situation as a single region with a cumulative total of 84 patients, and the quarantine system has reached its limits, with some screening clinics requiring a two-day wait to confirm infection status, causing the epidemic defense system to struggle. Kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as special schools, postponed their openings, and public institutions, markets, and hospital emergency rooms were closed, plunging Daegu into chaos.

In the case of COVID-19, the health authorities' plan is to identify and isolate suspected patients as early as possible from the initial stage of infection, when transmission is strong, and then quickly provide treatment. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 61 screening clinics (including public health centers) in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, of which 56 can collect specimens.

◆ Overload with a two-day wait just to get tested = As patients linked to the Shincheonji Church continued to emerge, fear spread among citizens, and the number of people visiting screening clinics to confirm infection status surged. Seok Jin-dong (38), who visited Daegu Medical Center yesterday after returning from Vietnam three weeks ago, said, "I had a cough and phlegm, so I visited the screening clinic just in case," adding, "I waited about an hour and 30 minutes but still have not been tested." At screening clinics set up in public health centers, it took 2 to 3 days to get tested. A representative from Dalseo-gu Public Health Center said in a phone call yesterday, "All reservations are full, so testing is not possible," and "There are many people waiting, so you have to wait several days." The situation was the same at Suseong-gu Public Health Center, where patient number 31 was tested. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters added eight more screening clinics in Daegu and deployed 24 additional public health doctors.

The issue of a shortage of hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients has also emerged. Negative pressure rooms, which prevent air inside the room from escaping outside, are necessary to treat COVID-19 patients or isolate suspected patients. In Daegu and Gyeongbuk, there are only 15 nationally designated negative pressure beds, and including those held by private institutions, only 88 beds in total. Looking at the utilization rate of nationally designated negative pressure beds nationwide, only about one-third are in use, but Daegu (87.5%) and Gyeongbuk (100%) are already fully occupied. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said before the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting that day, "We will fully support the necessary resources such as beds, personnel, and equipment," adding, "We will deploy public personnel including military medical staff and prepare temporary protection facilities for those who find it difficult to self-isolate."

◆ Postponing school openings and closing public institutions = On the 20th, the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education postponed the opening of 341 kindergartens and 459 elementary, middle, high, and special schools, which had been scheduled for the 2nd of next month, by one week. On the same day in Daegu, a teacher at an art academy and a daycare center tested positive for COVID-19, spreading concerns about child infections. Therefore, the Office of Education unusually postponed the school opening to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within educational institutions. It is unprecedented for the entire city's educational functions to be paralyzed due to disease or other reasons.

Daegu City closed public facilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among citizens. Daegu closed the Daegu Art Museum, Daegu Culture and Arts Center, and about 70 libraries. This measure aims to minimize citizens' outdoor activities due to the possibility of local transmission of the COVID-19 virus at any time and from anyone in Daegu. Mayor Kwon Young-jin said in a briefing on the morning of the 20th, "Current quarantine measures are insufficient to prevent community infection," and urged, "Citizens should refrain from going out as much as possible and wear masks in daily life." In addition to public facilities, large markets were also hit directly by COVID-19. The Daegu Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market closed some stores after a man in his 20s working there tested positive.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.