Fatigue Accumulated Over 7 Long Months... Volunteer Visits Have Also Stopped

COVID-19 Resurgence, Urgent Need to Secure Medical Staff
Impact of Medical Community's Collective Strike
Doctors and Nurses of 'Seonui' Who Once Flocked Nationwide During Shincheonji No Longer Present

On the 25th, at the external specimen collection room for COVID-19 set up at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, medical staff disinfect their gloves after collecting specimens from visitors.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The quarantine authorities view the recent spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) as dangerous because, unlike previous group outbreaks such as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu or the Itaewon clubs in Seoul, there are many elderly patients. In the case of the group infection at Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, which has grown to the second largest scale in the country after Shincheonji, those aged 60 and over account for more than 40% of the total.

Elderly patients are more vulnerable to COVID-19 due to weakened immunity caused by underlying diseases. Meanwhile, unlike during the Shincheonji incident, medical volunteer efforts have virtually ceased. This is analyzed to be due to the collective strike in the medical community amid extreme fatigue from prolonged response efforts.

"Rapid Increase in Elderly Patients, Rising Concern Over Fatalities"
Half of Domestic Deaths Are in Their 80s
Fatality Rate for Those 60 and Over is 6.4%

According to the quarantine authorities on the 25th, the fatality rate by age group among domestic patients is only about 0.1% for those under 60, but reaches 6.4% for those aged 60 and above. Among patients aged 80 and over, more than one in five die, accounting for nearly half of all COVID-19 deaths in the country. Unlike past outbreaks that were limited to specific regions, the virus is spreading nationwide centered on the densely populated metropolitan area, and the fatigue accumulated among the entire population after more than seven months of the crisis adds to the difficulty.

Medical staff are collecting samples at the COVID-19 screening clinic installed in the Wind Yard in front of Seongbuk-gu Office.

To prevent the worsening of symptoms in COVID-19 patients, the urgent task is to establish a medical system that provides timely treatment. The large number of fatalities during the rapid increase in Shincheonji-related patients was also due to many elderly patients not receiving timely treatment. At that time, the rapid spread was not anticipated, resulting in a shortage of hospital beds, and some patients died while waiting for admission at home after testing positive. The health authorities revised the treatment system by designating hospitals during outbreaks and allocating beds according to patient severity, learning from past damages.

The problem is that while 'spaces' such as infectious disease-dedicated hospitals and residential treatment centers for patients have been prepared, securing medical staff to provide treatment has not been adequately addressed. Recently, about 80% of patients have mild or no symptoms and can be treated by a small number of medical staff at residential treatment centers, but severe patients require many medical personnel in specially prepared negative pressure facilities.

According to the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine, operating 20 intensive care unit beds requires about 16 doctors and 160 nurses. Some dedicated hospitals in the metropolitan area are struggling to admit patients, treating many patients in one room due to a shortage of medical staff. Although the health authorities have a system to monitor hospital beds nationwide in real time, they have yet to comprehensively assess the current status of medical staff supply along with bed availability.

On the 24th, citizens are waiting to get tested at the COVID-19 screening clinic set up in front of Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

Medical Staff Burnout and Volunteer Shortage
"Bed Saturation Makes Medical System Hard to Sustain"

The accumulated fatigue of frontline medical staff due to several sporadic outbreaks since the Shincheonji incident is also a cause for concern. Recently, infections among medical staff in some medical institutions and screening clinics have increased, which is seen as a consequence of the prolonged outbreak lasting over half a year. The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and others stated in a recent declaration, "The medical system, which has endured for a long time, is reaching its limit as beds rapidly become saturated," and criticized that "despite months of discussions on preparing for and responding to a second wave, preparations have not been adequately made."

During the Shincheonji-related spread, doctors and nurses volunteered nationwide, relying on goodwill, but recently even that has become difficult. After the outbreak, disputes over payment of allowances and other issues have arisen, indicating that the system to smoothly operate frontline sites is not functioning properly.

Additionally, medical 'supply' is faltering as medical organizations, led by the Korean Medical Association, oppose government medical policies such as expanding medical school quotas, leading to total strikes. The Korean Medical Association plans a second general strike on the 26th and maintains a hardline stance. Conflicts within medical organizations and among different professions are compounding, making problem resolution even more difficult.

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