"59 COVID-19 Critical Patients... 93 Severe or Above Cases" (Update)

On the 12th, medical staff collected specimens from residents at the screening clinic in the Korea Building, Guro-gu, Seoul, a site of a COVID-19 cluster infection. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 12th that among the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea, 59 patients are in critical condition. The number of severe patients reached 59.

On the same day’s briefing, Kwak Jin, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Patient Management Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated, "There are currently a total of 93 people classified as severe or above among the confirmed COVID-19 cases." The health authorities consider patients who are on mechanical ventilation or using an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) device as critical. Patients who can breathe on their own but have decreased oxygen saturation requiring oxygen therapy or have a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius are classified as severe.

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increases, the number of patients in poor condition is also rising. Earlier this month, as of the 2nd, only 34 patients were classified as severe or above, including 19 critical cases, but after about ten days, the number has nearly tripled. The health authorities analyze that while young patients or those in good health may recover without special treatment, elderly patients or those with underlying conditions can deteriorate rapidly within a short period.

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