"COVID-19 Patients, 86 Severe or Worse... 58 in Critical Condition" (Update)

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As of the 17th, there are 86 patients classified as severe or higher among the confirmed domestic cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), of which 58 are in critical condition.

Gwak Jin, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Patient Management Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19, stated at the regular briefing in the afternoon, "There are 28 patients classified as severe, who are wearing oxygen masks or have a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius, and 58 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 then returns it to the body.

Artificial respirators through intubation are also used to treat patients who are unable to breathe on their own. Patients in a better condition than this but who have a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius or decreased oxygen saturation due to pneumonia receive oxygen mask therapy.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea as of midnight on this day is 8,320. Among them, the number of deaths is identified as 83, including those not yet reflected in the official government statistics.

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