Authorities: "60 Severe or Worse COVID-19 Patients... 36 in Critical Condition" (Update)

At Bonghwa Pureun Nursing Home in Gyeongbuk, quarantine staff are disinfecting the interior. <이미지:Yonhap News>

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Among the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea, 36 patients are in critical condition, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 8th. The number of severe cases also reaches 24.

At a briefing on the same day, Kwak Jin, head of the Epidemiological Investigation Team 1 at the COVID-19 Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated, "There are a total of 60 patients in severe or worse condition, including 36 in critical condition." Patients in critical condition have difficulty breathing on their own and require mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for treatment. Severe patients can breathe independently but have decreased oxygen saturation due to pneumonia, a major symptom of COVID-19, and are receiving oxygen therapy.

The number of severe or worse patients increased by one compared to the previous day. As of midnight on the same day, the total number of COVID-19 patients in South Korea was 7,134, with 50 deaths reported so far. Six deaths occurred in the past 24 hours. The 49th death was a man in his 70s reported in Gyeongbuk, who passed away the previous day at Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital. Authorities confirmed he had underlying health conditions. The 50th death was a woman in her 70s who was admitted to Bonghwa Pureun Nursing Home and was transferred to Gimcheon Medical Center after testing positive, where she died the previous day. This patient also reportedly had underlying conditions such as heart disease and dementia.

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