Over 400 Daegu COVID-19 Patients Waiting for Hospitalization... "Admission Soon"

On the morning of the 13th, medical staff who finished their shift at Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan Hospital, a regional base hospital for COVID-19 in Daegu, are heading to the break room.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) surged rapidly within a short period, the number of patients in the Daegu area waiting at home without access to treatment facilities has decreased to the 400s, the health authorities announced on the 14th. The number had exceeded 2,000 just a week ago, but this is the result of measures such as admitting mild patients to residential treatment centers. The authorities stated that they plan to complete the severity classification for each patient as soon as possible and admit all of them.

No Hong-in, the first controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, said at a briefing that "a total of 2,707 mild patients from the Daegu and Gyeongbuk areas (as of the 13th) are residing in 16 residential treatment centers," adding, "About 90 mild patients who were hospitalized have been admitted to residential treatment centers, which has created an opportunity to treat moderate or more severe patients who require hospitalization in hospitals."

In Daegu, 62 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases (as of midnight) were identified on the day, bringing the cumulative total to 5,990. Among them, 401 have been released from isolation, 51 have died, and about 5,500 still require isolation. Depending on the severity, patients are receiving treatment in negative pressure rooms or infectious disease-dedicated hospitals, while those with mild symptoms are admitted to residential treatment centers to receive light treatment such as symptom monitoring.

So far, the Daegu Medical Association and others have been classifying patient severity to decide on hospitalization or admission, but about 400 patients have not yet completed severity classification and thus are not receiving appropriate treatment. Controller No said, "Even patients isolating at home without admission to facilities are continuously monitored regarding their symptoms."

He added, "Five doctors work in three shifts to medically monitor patients in self-isolation, and if there is a problem, patients are transferred to Daegu Dongsan Medical Center for medical checks and then admitted to the hospital or transferred to a higher-level hospital," and "we will try to admit patients in self-isolation to residential treatment centers as soon as possible."

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