Severe Care Beds in the Capital Region Are Filling Up Quickly

15% of Patients Waiting for Beds Wait Over 4 Days
Seoul Metropolitan Area Bed Occupancy Rate Exceeds 80%

Authorities Plan Additional ICU Beds
Facility and Staff Preparation Takes 3-4 Weeks

Moon: "No Guarantee There Will Be No Emergency Measures"

On the 18th, a 'mobile negative pressure ward' was installed in the parking lot of Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, in preparation for a surge in critically ill patients. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] On the 22nd, marking the fourth week since the implementation of the "gradual return to daily life (With Corona)" policy, the COVID-19 medical response system is reaching its limits, with over 900 patients waiting for hospital beds. Frontline medical sites are complaining about a lack of facilities and personnel. Among experts, voices are emerging calling for a reconsideration of the With Corona policy, including emergency plans.

Seoul Metropolitan Area Hospital Beds Virtually Exhausted

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters as of midnight on that day, the number of patients waiting for hospital beds was 907, about three times more than the 273 on the 15th, a week earlier. Those unable to be admitted for more than four days accounted for 15.1% (137 people). The intensive care unit (ICU) bed utilization rate in the metropolitan area was 83.3% (578 out of 694 beds in use) as of 5 p.m. the previous day, showing a continuous upward trend compared to 81.5% the day before. By region, Incheon’s utilization rate rose from 79.7% the previous day to 83.5% (66 out of 79 beds in use), pushing all areas including Seoul at 84.9% and Gyeonggi at 81.1% above 80% utilization.

Considering the preparation time required for each bed during admission and discharge processes, hospital beds are virtually exhausted. Authorities plan to strengthen medical capacity by adding 692 ICU beds in the metropolitan area at the current level, but given that it takes 3 to 4 weeks to prepare facilities and personnel, actual operation is expected around the end of the year.

Jeon Hae-cheol, 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of the Interior and Safety), stated, "We are making every effort to secure hospital beds and medical personnel as the number of severe patients and average bed utilization rates increase," adding, "Through the 'Severe Patient Dedicated Nurse Training Project,' we will secure an additional 200 dedicated nursing staff by early next year."

Since individual hospitals find it difficult to prepare ICU beds, the need to establish separate hospitals is also being raised. Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital pointed out, "University hospitals and others are already operating at full capacity with severe patients other than COVID-19," adding, "It is not easy to convert beds that easily." He emphasized, "Just like the emergency beds created in Wuhan, China, at the early stage of COVID-19, we need to convert gymnasiums or vacant buildings into wards and deploy volunteer medical staff, military doctors, and nursing officers to expand the overall ICU capacity."

Will the 'Emergency Plan' Be Activated?

President Moon Jae-in is answering questions from citizen panelists at the 2021 Dialogue with the People 'Back to Daily Life' held on the afternoon of the 21st at the KBS Open Hall in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

As the weekly average number of confirmed COVID-19 cases approaches 3,000 and ICU utilization exceeds the government’s benchmark of 75%, voices calling for reconsideration of the With Corona policy are emerging.

President Moon Jae-in said during a dialogue with the public held the day before, "The increase in confirmed cases was a figure anticipated when entering the gradual return to daily life," adding, "We prepared for the number of confirmed cases to rise to 5,000 or even 10,000." However, he added, "If the number of critically ill patients increases beyond what the medical system can handle, there is no law that prohibits taking emergency measures, temporarily halting the return to daily life, or strengthening social distancing."

Experts have expressed mixed opinions on the current situation. Professor Kim Yoon of the Department of Medical Management at Seoul National University College of Medicine argued, "The increase in severe patients is not because of With Corona; group infections in nursing hospitals are still the main cause," and stated, "Discussing emergency measures or strengthening social distancing at this level is inconsistent with the premise of With Corona."

On the other hand, Professor Kim Woo-joo criticized, "The government pushed ahead with With Corona without any special measures," and said, "Only by strengthening social distancing again to reduce confirmed cases can severe patients decrease and the shortage of hospital beds be resolved."

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