Sejong Introduces and Operates 'Negative Pressure Ambulance' for Infectious Disease Patient Transport

Negative pressure ambulance. Provided by Sejong Fire Headquarters

[Asia Economy (Sejong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A specially designed negative pressure ambulance for transporting patients with infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) will be introduced in Sejong.

The Sejong Fire Headquarters announced on the 10th that the negative pressure ambulance will be deployed and operated on the front lines starting from the 10th.

The newly introduced negative pressure ambulance was deployed on site after a three-month special manufacturing process. The ambulance features a patient compartment with reduced pressure to prevent virus spread, and a HEPA filter that purifies contaminated air inside, completely blocking virus leakage outside the ambulance.

Previously, the Sejong Fire Headquarters designated four regular ambulances as dedicated infectious disease ambulances, supporting the transport of 1,517 confirmed COVID-19 patients, suspected cases, and overseas arrivals.

With the new introduction of the negative pressure ambulance, the Sejong Fire Headquarters explained that it is now possible to fundamentally block secondary exposure (transmission) of infectious diseases to paramedics and citizens during the transport of confirmed patients, enabling the establishment of a safe transport system.

Cheon Chang-seop, head of the city’s Response and Prevention Division, said, “With the operation of the negative pressure ambulance, we have established an infectious disease transport system that guarantees the safety of citizens and paramedics,” adding, “We are also planning to deploy and utilize negative pressure transport stretchers in all ambulances in the second half of this year.”

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