60s Patient Dies After Waiting Three Days for a Hospital Bed... Hospital Bed Shortage Becomes a Real Concern 'Anxiety'

Asymptomatic 60s Patient Dies After Waiting for Hospital Bed
Nationwide COVID Cases Stay in 1,000s for Third Day... Only 1 ICU Bed Left for Severe Patients in Seoul
Kim Woo-joo: "If 1,000 Cases Confirmed Consecutively, It Will Be Unmanageable"

On the 14th, temporary container beds for securing beds for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are being installed on an open space at Seoul Medical Center in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] As the number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea has exceeded around 1,000 for three consecutive days, an accident occurred where a patient in their 60s died while waiting for a hospital bed allocation. With the increase in new COVID-19 cases and the reality of bed shortages, anxiety is spreading that timely treatment may not be possible.

Experts emphasized that the number of new COVID-19 cases could increase beyond 1,000, and that all efforts should be focused on strengthening quarantine policies and securing hospital beds.

On the 17th, Seoul City announced in a COVID-19 briefing that a patient in their 60s with underlying conditions, Mr. A, who was confirmed positive on the 12th, died while waiting for a hospital bed three days later on the 15th. This patient resided in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, and was a confirmed case related to a cluster infection at a restaurant in Pagoda Town, Jongno-gu.

Mr. A underwent testing after his wife was confirmed positive on the 11th and tested positive the next day. Although Mr. A had four underlying conditions including hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, and degenerative arthritis, he was classified as an 'asymptomatic' patient with only a slight sore throat and was deprioritized for hospital admission.

However, from the morning of the 14th, his symptoms rapidly worsened, with blood appearing in his sputum and severe coughing. The Dongdaemun-gu Public Health Center reportedly requested an 'emergency hospital bed allocation' from Seoul City twice that day, in the morning and afternoon. Nevertheless, no specific action was taken, and on the morning of the 15th, paramedics dispatched following a report from his wife found Mr. A deceased at his home.

Regarding this, Seoul City issued a statement on the 17th, saying, "Since August 21, under the 'Metropolitan Area Joint Bed Utilization Plan' jointly managed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Seoul City, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon City, patient classification and bed allocation tasks have been carried out through the 'Metropolitan COVID-19 Field Response Team' at the National Medical Center." They explained, "Since early December, due to the surge in confirmed cases, administrative and medical system overload has caused difficulties in bed allocation by the field response team."

They added, "We feel a heavy responsibility for this regrettable incident that should never have happened," and stated, "We will consult with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to review and strengthen the public medical system, including the bed allocation system, to prevent such incidents from recurring."

On the 17th, citizens are getting tested at the Jung-gu temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

In the metropolitan area where confirmed cases are surging, anxiety is growing that more cases like Mr. A’s may occur.

According to Seoul City on the 17th, as of 8 p.m. the previous day (16th), the bed occupancy rate at Seoul’s infectious disease-dedicated hospitals was 86.1%. Of the 80 beds dedicated to severe patients, 79 were in use, leaving only one available bed. The city-operated residential treatment centers had only 159 beds immediately available out of 1,929 beds.

Meanwhile, the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in Seoul has shown a significant increase. On the 16th, the number of new confirmed cases in Seoul was 13,458, an increase of 423 from midnight the previous day. This is the highest number since the first confirmed case in January. The previous highest was 399 cases on the 12th.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 also reached a record high. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, 22 deaths were reported on that day, the highest daily death toll recorded. The number of deaths was also in double digits on the 14th (13 deaths) and 15th (12 deaths).

Nationwide, the number of new confirmed cases has exceeded 1,000 daily for several consecutive days. On the 18th, the number of new COVID-19 cases was 1,062, marking three consecutive days of over 1,000 cases following 1,078 on the 16th and 1,014 on the 17th. From the 12th to the 18th, the daily new cases were 950 → 1,030 → 718 → 880 → 1,078 → 1,014 → 1,062, showing an increasing trend.

Consequently, concerns are rising that even if diagnosed with COVID-19, patients may not receive proper treatment due to bed shortages. In response, the city announced that starting with the Red Cross Hospital on the 21st, five additional infectious disease-dedicated hospitals will be designated by the end of the year to secure 278 beds. Two severe patient treatment beds will be secured this week, and a total of 18 beds will be secured at six tertiary general hospitals.

The city also plans to operate a total of nine 'semi-severe patient beds' sequentially by the end of the year for patients whose COVID-19 condition has improved after treatment in severe patient beds.

Experts expressed concern that if new COVID-19 cases exceed 1,000 consecutively, the domestic medical system will face an unmanageable situation.

Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital said, "We have emphasized the need to prepare for winter when the virus spreads rapidly after summer and fall, but it seems this was overlooked. If the number of new cases is around 200 to 300, it is manageable, but if more than 1,000 cases occur consecutively as now, the current domestic hospital beds cannot handle it," expressing concern.

Professor Kim added, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare assumed 1,000 patients daily for 20 days and 500 patients released from isolation, securing more than 10,000 additional beds by the end of the year. However, there is no guarantee that only 1,000 new cases will occur. More cases may arise, and bed shortages are already ongoing. The beds the city plans to secure are for the future. The quarantine authorities must prioritize the lives of the people and strengthen quarantine policies such as raising social distancing levels and securing hospital beds," he emphasized.

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