"Next Week 900 Patients?" COVID-19 Spread Causes 'Bed Saturation'... Medical Community on 'Alert'

Increase in New Confirmed Cases Leads to Bed Shortage
Only 8.2% of ICU Beds Immediately Available
Seoul City Installing Container Temporary Beds
Health Authorities "Easing Isolation Release Criteria to Secure Beds"

On the 1st, COVID-19 patients were being transferred to Daegu Dongsan Hospital from a parking lot in Yeonje-gu, Busan due to a shortage of hospital beds. Busan has recently been facing difficulties in managing hospital beds due to a rapid increase in COVID-19 patients. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) enters its 'third wave,' the number of new confirmed cases is increasing, and there is a shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds to accommodate these patients. Health authorities have begun preparing countermeasures, fearing a collapse of the medical system.

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has consistently recorded between 500 and 600 over the past week. From November 29 to December 5, a total of 1,553 confirmed cases were reported in the Seoul area, averaging 221.9 cases per day, which is about 59 more than the previous week (November 22?28), which averaged 162.7 cases per day. Health authorities expect that if the current trend continues, daily new confirmed cases could exceed 900 next week.

With the rapidly increasing number of confirmed cases, ICU beds have reached saturation. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) on the 7th, as of December 6, out of a total of 550 ICU beds nationwide, including those dedicated to COVID-19 patients, only 45 beds were immediately available, accounting for just 8.2% of all beds. The occupancy rate of beds available for severe and critical patients requiring ventilators, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), or oxygen therapy has exceeded 90%.

By region, the remaining ICU beds in the metropolitan area are limited to 7 in Seoul, 5 in Incheon, and 1 in Gyeonggi Province, totaling only 13 beds. In non-metropolitan areas, five provinces?Daejeon, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam?have all their secured beds fully occupied, leaving no available beds. Additionally, Gwangju, Chungbuk, and Gyeongbuk each have 1 bed available; Busan has 3; Gangwon and Daegu each have 5; Jeju has 6; and Ulsan has 10 beds available.

Jung Ki-hyun, director of the National Medical Center, is speaking at a press conference held at Novotel Ambassador Dongdaemun in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 24th. Photo by Yonhap News

There are particular concerns that the shortage of ICU beds may become a reality starting from the second week of December.

Joo Young-soo, Director of Planning and Coordination at the National Medical Center, stated at a press conference held at the Novotel Ambassador Dongdaemun in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of November 24, "Based on statistics of patients occurring over the two weeks since the 10th, we estimate that about 46 severe patients may emerge. However, the number of ICU beds available in the metropolitan area is estimated to be 25 (as of the 23rd), so the system will likely approach saturation within one to two weeks." He added, "ICU beds in the metropolitan area may become insufficient starting from the second week of December."

As beds become scarce, the number of patients waiting at home in Gyeonggi Province increased to 366 as of midnight on the 6th. This is a sharp rise compared to the pre-'third wave' average of 20 to 30 patients waiting for beds per day.

In response to this situation, health authorities announced on the 7th that they would ease the criteria for releasing confirmed patients from isolation to improve bed utilization efficiency and prevent patients from staying in beds longer than necessary. Previously, isolation was lifted after a 10-day period from onset followed by a 3-day clinical observation period; going forward, the clinical observation period will be reduced to 1 to 2 days.

The criteria for discharge have also been relaxed. Previously, patients could be discharged only after 7 days from confirmation and two consecutive negative tests at 24-hour intervals. Now, if there is no fever and symptoms improve, patients can be discharged even before 7 days if two consecutive negative tests at 24-hour intervals are obtained.

Furthermore, Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, announced at a regular briefing on November 30 that they are considering prioritizing home treatment for confirmed children aged 12 and under, allowing them to stay at home instead of being admitted to hospitals or residential treatment centers.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Home treatment is a measure to manage symptoms by having asymptomatic or mild patients stay at home in preparation for a shortage of beds as confirmed cases increase. Currently, when children aged 12 or younger test positive for COVID-19, their parents must also be admitted with them. To secure beds, home treatment is being considered under the premise of 'strict isolation.'

Director Jung said, "There have been demands for (home treatment) mainly for pediatric patients from related academic societies," and added, "We will first apply home treatment to children and will discuss expanding the target group after gathering opinions."

Additionally, Seoul City announced on the 6th that it plans to respond to the shortage of COVID-19 beds by installing temporary container beds. The city plans to secure 150 beds by installing temporary beds using containers in unused spaces of municipal hospitals. Currently, installation work for container-type treatment spaces is underway at Seoul Medical Center in Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul.

Expert groups have also proposed establishing large-scale temporary hospitals using gymnasiums and convention centers.

On the 7th, professional academic societies such as the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine issued a joint statement titled "Statement from Professional Academic Societies on Establishing a Critical Care System in Response to the Surge in COVID-19 Cases," urging, "To prepare for the surge in patients and to sufficiently expand bed capacity, policy changes must be sought." They called for "a phased response plan that moves away from a response based solely on tertiary general hospitals and includes establishing dedicated base hospitals and large-scale temporary hospitals utilizing gymnasiums and convention centers."

Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital said, "There had been predictions since early this year that systems related to beds and medical personnel should be prepared for a pandemic. However, it is inevitable that it becomes difficult if measures are only taken after the number of confirmed cases and severe patients explode and beds run out."

Professor Kim added, "While it is true that if there is no better option, we must make do, it is hard to accept accommodating patients in container facilities. It will be difficult for patients and medical staff to endure in containers during the harsh winter cold." He continued, "I believe it would be a better option to use gymnasiums or convention centers equipped with heating and cooling facilities."

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