"Among COVID-19 Confirmed Cases, 52 Are Severe or Worse, 25 Are 'Critical' (Update)"

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As of the 4th, there are 52 patients classified as severe or higher among the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea, of which 25 are in critical condition.

At the regular briefing in the afternoon, Kwak Jin, Head of the Epidemiological Investigation Team 1 at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19, stated, "There are 27 patients classified as severe, who are wearing oxygen masks or have a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius, and 25 patients in critical condition who are using mechanical ventilation or artificial respirators."

Among the confirmed patients undergoing isolation treatment, severe patients receive treatments such as ECMO and artificial respirators, as well as oxygen mask therapy. ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a device that removes blood from critically ill patients whose heart and lungs are not functioning properly, supplies oxygen, and returns it to the body. Artificial respirators through intubation are used to treat patients who cannot breathe on their own. Patients in a better condition than this but with a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius or decreased oxygen saturation due to pneumonia receive oxygen mask therapy.

Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea as of midnight on this day is 5,328. Among them, 33 have died.

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