Government Secures a Total of 328 COVID-19 Critical Care Beds by Year-End (Update)

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun (second from the left) visited Bakae Hospital in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on the 19th to conduct an on-site inspection of COVID-19 hospital beds and is receiving a status briefing from Hospital Director Kim Byung-geun.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The government has decided to add about 300 beds for severe COVID-19 patients by the end of the year to improve operational efficiency.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the morning of the 23rd, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, that 104 intensive care beds have been designated as of that day, with plans to secure 199 beds by the 26th and 328 beds by the end of the year.

Currently, there are 41 COVID-19 intensive care beds nationwide, with 12 remaining in the metropolitan area. To quickly secure additional intensive care beds, the government ordered tertiary general hospitals and national university hospitals on the 18th to allocate 1% of their licensed beds as dedicated treatment beds for severe patients. The expansion of beds is a measure following this order.

As of the 22nd, 60 residential treatment centers have secured a total of 10,848 beds, with an occupancy rate of 47.7%, allowing 5,609 beds to be available. Two key residential treatment centers with enhanced medical functions have also opened, accommodating around 400 people. Infectious disease-dedicated hospitals have secured a total of 5,568 beds, with a 75% occupancy rate, making 1,393 beds available.

The government plans to quickly secure approximately 400 additional large-scale beds by designating private medical institutions equipped with infectious disease response capabilities as infectious disease-dedicated hospitals and providing a total budget of 14.3 billion KRW. Private medical institutions participating as infectious disease-dedicated hospitals will receive support for operating expenses, facility and equipment costs, and personnel expenses in advance.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine general team, said at a regular briefing that "due to continuous efforts to expand beds and measures to improve bed operation efficiency, the medical system has begun to gradually recover capacity starting this week," adding, "As of midnight today, the number of patients waiting for beds for more than one day in the metropolitan area is 183, significantly reduced from over 500 previously." He added, "Under the goal of keeping the number of patients waiting more than one day within double digits, we will further expand beds and expedite their allocation."

Meanwhile, the government is also promoting the designation of infectious disease-dedicated nursing hospitals for the admission and treatment of elderly bedridden or dementia patients who tested positive in nursing hospitals or are waiting at home. Patients requiring hemodialysis will be prioritized for treatment at key infectious disease-dedicated hospitals, and support will be strengthened by temporarily increasing related fees. Severe emergency patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms such as fever will be admitted first to regional or severe emergency centers regardless of isolation room availability, and emergency beds will be allocated for confirmed patients waiting at home if symptoms worsen.

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