Authorities: "COVID-19 situation is serious... Emergency plans and measures to be considered if situation persists"

On the 23rd, when the number of new COVID-19 cases reached 2,699, citizens visiting the COVID-19 screening clinic at Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall were waiting for their turn to be tested. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the spread of COVID-19 intensifies, the number of critically ill patients has reached an all-time high, worsening the medical response situation day by day. In response, quarantine authorities have indicated that they are considering strengthening quarantine measures, including emergency plans.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at the regular briefing held on the morning of the 23rd, "The situation is becoming severe," and added, "If this situation continues, there was an opinion internally that we need to review strengthening certain quarantine measures or even consider emergency plans."

However, Son did not believe that the current situation itself necessitates taking measures such as emergency plans. He said, "The current pattern of the outbreak is centered on infections among the elderly and vulnerable facilities such as nursing hospitals and care facilities, and the number of critically ill patients is high relative to the scale of infections," adding, "Urgent measures include accelerating additional vaccinations for the elderly and protecting vulnerable facilities rather than imposing measures on the general community." Nevertheless, he explained, "The spread of the outbreak through the community is also having some impact," and "If the situation continues to worsen, we will discuss and consider various measures, including emergency plans."

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of midnight on the same day, the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases was 2,699, marking the highest number ever recorded for a Tuesday. The number of critically ill patients hospitalized also reached a record high of 549, an increase of 34 from the previous day.

The utilization rate of intensive care unit (ICU) beds is also worsening day by day. As of 5 p.m. the previous day, out of 1,134 ICU beds secured nationwide, 786 beds (69.3%) were in use. In particular, in the metropolitan area, the utilization rates were 84.3% in Seoul, 83.5% in Incheon, and 81.9% in Gyeonggi Province, with 578 beds (83.3%) in use out of a total of 694 beds. A utilization rate of 80% is effectively considered 'exhausted' when taking into account the preparation work required for patient admissions and discharges.

The number of patients waiting for beds without being admitted was 836, slightly down from 907 the previous day. However, the shortage of beds continues, with 122 patients still waiting for more than four days without admission. Son expressed concern, saying, "There has been a slight easing due to transfers to non-metropolitan areas, bed efficiency measures, additional personnel support for underutilized beds due to staffing situations, and internal hospital personnel reallocation," but added, "If the number of critically ill patients continues to increase as it is now, the medical capacity will be further strained."

A 'mobile negative pressure isolation room' has been installed in the parking lot of Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, in preparation for a surge in critically ill patients.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this regard, quarantine authorities have been announcing plans to expand medical facilities and personnel day after day. On this day, a plan to expand infectious disease response personnel at public health centers was announced.

Park Hyang, head of the Quarantine General Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated, "We anticipate that the workload for diagnostic testing and epidemiological investigations at public health centers will continue to increase next year, so we will allocate an additional 757 regular personnel." The allocated personnel will be reflected in the public health center staff quotas through amendments to local government ordinances, and after the recruitment process, they are expected to be deployed as early as the second half of next year.

Park added, "It takes time to increase regular personnel," and explained, "To address the increasing workload as a priority, about 2,300 temporary personnel will continue to be supported."

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