Half of Severe COVID-19 Patients in Korea Have Died

Based on Clinical Experience
Estimated 1,425 Severe Patients
Considering Deaths, 45% Have Died

On the afternoon of the 17th, a COVID-19 confirmed patient is being transported by 119 paramedics in front of Yangji Nursing Hospital in Nam-gu, Ulsan.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] About one in two critically ill patients whose symptoms worsened after contracting the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have died. Although the fatality rate calculated so far, that is, the proportion of deaths among all confirmed cases, is relatively low at 1.36%, it indicates that once symptoms deteriorate, there is a high likelihood of not recovering and dying. In the metropolitan area, struggling with a shortage of intensive care beds, there are even cases of people dying at home while waiting after testing positive, showing signs of the healthcare system collapsing.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 18th, the estimated number of critically ill patients based on the cumulative confirmed cases in the country is about 1,425. This figure was calculated based on clinical experience that 3% of COVID-19 patients worsen to a critically ill state. Considering that 645 people have died from COVID-19 in the country so far, the proportion of deaths among critically ill patients is about 45%. The term "critically ill patients" refers to all patients requiring intensive care such as high-flow oxygen therapy, ventilators, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and their fatality rate is tens of times higher compared to the overall patient population.

Those who worsen to a critically ill state after being infected with COVID-19 are mostly elderly or individuals with underlying conditions such as heart failure, hypertension, or diabetes. There are also differences by age group among the elderly. According to the Central Clinical Committee for Emerging Infectious Diseases, the intensive care incidence rate is about 1% for patients in their 50s, 4% for those in their 60s, 8% for those in their 70s, and jumps to 13% for those aged 80 and above. Among newly confirmed cases in the past month (November 18 to December 17), 7,902 were elderly aged 50 and above, and based on age-specific predictions, about 355 more critically ill patients are expected to emerge.

This is based on the past month, but considering that more than 1,000 new cases have been reported daily recently, and that symptoms worsen to a critically ill state with a time lag of about a week, the trend of increasing critically ill patients and deaths is likely to steepen further. As the number of patients surged rapidly in a short period causing a shortage of beds, patients whose symptoms might worsen have frequently been unable to receive timely treatment. A man in his 60s in Seoul who died at home on the 15th had underlying conditions such as diabetes and hypertension but was not immediately hospitalized because his symptoms were mild at the time of diagnosis.

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