Two More Infectious Disease Dedicated Hospitals Added in Incheon... 164 Additional Beds Secured

Designation of Two Dedicated Infectious Disease Long-Term Care Hospitals Underway

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun (second from left) is conducting an on-site inspection of COVID-19 hospital beds. 2020.12.19
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) increases, leading to longer waiting times for bed allocation, Incheon City has significantly expanded its dedicated infectious disease beds.

On the 27th, the city announced that it had secured an additional 164 beds by designating Incheon Red Cross Hospital and Incheon Baek Hospital as dedicated infectious disease hospitals.

After completing construction such as negative pressure facilities, Incheon Red Cross Hospital secured 62 beds and began admitting COVID-19 patients for treatment starting on the 25th. Incheon Baek Hospital, equipped with negative pressure facilities, equipment, and staff, plans to operate 102 beds starting on the 29th.

As a result, the number of dedicated infectious disease beds in Incheon has increased from the existing 273 to 437, which is expected to reduce the number of confirmed patients waiting for beds.

In addition to the dedicated beds, the Hanaglobal Training Institute Living Treatment Center, with a capacity of 300 residents, also began additional operations on the 23rd.

The city is also promoting the designation of dedicated infectious disease nursing hospitals to prevent additional infections or fatal accidents among elderly and dementia patients waiting due to group infections occurring in nursing homes and nursing hospitals.

Currently, discussions are underway with health authorities regarding two hospitals, and once designated as dedicated infectious disease nursing hospitals, it is expected to have a significant effect in blocking additional infections through rapid transfer of confirmed patients.

Meanwhile, with the increase in beds, it has been identified that about 70 nursing staff have registered to participate in medical personnel recruitment to support COVID-19 field operations.

The city plans to verify the willingness to participate and possession of relevant certifications among these medical personnel, then select the final candidates to be deployed to dedicated hospitals, living treatment centers, and screening clinics.

An Incheon city official stated, "Many hospitals are supporting the designation as COVID-19 dedicated hospitals, and discussions are ongoing with these hospitals regarding the scale of bed installations."

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