Ongoing 4th Wave... Administrative Order to Secure COVID-19 Treatment Beds in Non-Capital Areas Following the Capital Region

Last month, medical staff performed intubation on a patient in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the National Health Insurance Ilsan Hospital, a dedicated COVID-19 base hospital in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the fourth wave of COVID-19 continues, securing hospital beds for COVID-19 patient treatment has emerged as a key issue, and the government has issued an administrative order to secure treatment beds in non-metropolitan areas following the metropolitan area.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced the "Plan to Secure Dedicated COVID-19 Treatment Beds in Non-Metropolitan Areas" on the 10th. The administrative order takes effect from the 10th.

Health authorities noted that with the ongoing fourth wave, confirmed cases are increasing, and especially with the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the bed occupancy rate in some non-metropolitan regions is also rising. As of the previous day, Ulsan's dedicated treatment beds for critically ill patients reached an occupancy rate of 75%, while Daejeon and Chungnam showed occupancy rates of 79.3% and 74.8%, respectively, for dedicated treatment beds for moderate patients.

Additionally, considering the increased population movement during the Chuseok holiday, an important traditional holiday, and the expansion of in-person attendance at elementary, middle, and high schools, there are concerns about further spread. To proactively respond to potential large-scale cluster infections and spread, following the administrative order issued on the 13th of last month to secure dedicated beds in the metropolitan area, an administrative order has now been issued to medical institutions located in non-metropolitan areas to secure dedicated treatment beds.

Accordingly, a total of 146 additional dedicated treatment beds for critically ill patients will be secured, combining 93 expanded existing beds and 53 new beds. For tertiary general hospitals and national university hospitals located in non-metropolitan areas, the existing 1% bed securing requirement will be expanded to 1.5%, adding 93 beds. General hospitals with more than 700 licensed beds will newly secure 1% of their licensed beds as dedicated beds for critically ill patients, adding 53 beds.

For dedicated treatment beds for moderate patients, an additional 1,017 beds, which is 5% of licensed beds, will be secured at 46 general hospitals with 300 to 700 beds in non-metropolitan areas that are not currently operating COVID-19 treatment beds.

With the administrative order effective from today, the relevant medical institutions must complete facility construction and secure dedicated beds within three weeks. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters plans to decide the actual operation timing after consultation with city and provincial governments, reflecting local and hospital conditions.

The government expressed gratitude to medical institutions and staff who are supporting dedicated treatment beds and focusing on patient care under difficult conditions, stating, "We plan to actively support medical institutions participating in COVID-19 patient care to minimize their burden through the administrative order."

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