91 COVID-19 Patients Severely Ill or Worse, 59 in Critical Condition (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As of the 19th, among the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea, there are 91 patients classified as severe or higher, of which 59 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 32 patients classified as severe, who are wearing oxygen masks or have a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius, and 59 patients in critical condition who are using mechanical ventilation or artificial respirators."

For severe patients undergoing isolation treatment, therapies such as ECMO and artificial respirator treatment, as well as oxygen mask treatment, are administered. 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 the blood to the body.

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

Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea as of midnight on this day is 8,565. Among them, the number of deaths is identified as 93, including those not yet reflected in the official government statistics.

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