63 COVID-19 Patients in Critical Condition... 92 Severe or Worse Cases (Update)

On the morning of the 12th, firefighters at Michuhol Fire Station in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, are demonstrating a 'negative pressure portable stretcher.' This equipment is used to transport patients with infectious diseases such as COVID-19 to hospitals.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 14th that there are 63 patients in critical condition among the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea.

At a briefing on the same day, Kwak Jin, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Patient Management Team at the COVID-19 Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "There are 63 patients classified as critical, 29 patients classified as severe, making a total of 92 patients at severe stages or above." He added that there are no pediatric or adolescent patients.

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 domestically, the number of patients in critical or severe condition is also rising. On the 4th, there were 41 patients classified as severe or above, but the number has steadily increased, more than doubling in ten days. In particular, since most of these patients have underlying diseases or are elderly groups vulnerable to COVID-19, the health authorities are closely monitoring the condition of critical patients.

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, the number of COVID-19 deaths was 72, and with one additional death confirmed afterward, the total number of deaths in the country has been counted as 73 to date.

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