Home Treatment Kit Arrived Three Days Later... Quarantine Period Ends Before Facility Admission

Number of Subjects Increased to 25,846
Medical Staff Also Express Difficulties
Close Contacts, Not Confirmed Cases, in Worse Conditions
Serious Situation in Jjokbangchon and Gosiwon
Most Waiting Due to Bed Shortage

[Asia Economy Reporters Sojeong Seo, Chunhee Lee, Jeongyun Lee] "I started isolation on Monday, but the home treatment kit arrived three days later."

Mr. Yang, in his 40s, living in Nowon-gu, Seoul, recently began home treatment earlier this month after a COVID-19 case was confirmed at the daycare his 6-year-old child attends, but faced difficulties from the start. Home treatment patients are supposed to receive a kit containing an oxygen saturation monitor and a thermometer by mail from local governments, but he had not received the kit even after starting isolation. Mr. Yang said, "I managed with the thermometer I had at home for now," adding, "Fortunately, my child is asymptomatic, but I don't know if we could handle it if the condition worsens."

The situation is even more difficult for close contacts who are not confirmed cases. Mr. Kim, classified as a close contact after a confirmed case at his workplace, said, "I was only able to speak with the responsible public official five days after starting self-isolation. Since I live with family members, I had many questions, but it was frustrating because I couldn't get in touch. I received the self-isolation kit on the sixth day of isolation and was told the delay was due to the large number of home treatment patients."

◆ Home treatment cases rise to 25,846 = Since the phased return to normal life (With Corona), the number of new COVID-19 cases has surged, and the number of people receiving home treatment has rapidly increased. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of midnight on the 14th, the number of home treatment patients reached 25,846. The number exceeded 10,000 on the 1st of this month with 10,174 cases, but in the past week, which saw the highest number of confirmed cases ever, it has increased by about 1,000 per day.

As the number of home treatment patients surged at once, health centers, local government staff, and medical personnel responsible for home treatment are also expressing difficulties. Nurse Kim Jeong-eun from Seoul Seonam Hospital said at a press conference the day before, "We call isolated patients twice a day to check their health status such as oxygen saturation and temperature, but about half of them say they have not received the home treatment kit," adding, "It is not easy to assess patients' conditions over the phone, and elderly patients who are hard of hearing or do not know how to use the kit are difficult to monitor if there are no other family members living with them."

When confirmed patients and unconfirmed cohabitants isolate together, concerns about simultaneous infection are inevitable. Mr. Park, living in Seocho-gu, Seoul, said, "We are told to use separate bathrooms and rooms, but my child is 5 years old and needs a lot of care, such as bathing, so we have no choice but to accept the risk of infection," adding, "I was informed five days after isolation that relief supplies containing one instant rice, curry, and seaweed per person would be provided. Since I couldn't go out to buy food immediately, I ordered food online through Coupang and others, and was told that the 100,000 KRW cash support per household would be deposited only after a month."

◆ "Fearful" blind spots in quarantine = The situation in shantytowns and goshiwon (small dormitory-style rooms) is even more severe. Due to their dense structure and poor living conditions, these vulnerable facilities are not suitable for home treatment and all confirmed cases are supposed to be hospitalized or admitted, but there is currently a shortage of beds, so many are waiting. Sometimes, patients wait for admission but the management period ends before a bed becomes available.

An official from Yeongdeungpo Public Health Center said, "Currently, about 5 to 6 people in the shantytown near Yeongdeungpo Station are waiting for admission after being confirmed," adding, "Since the shantytown is densely packed, we used to admit nearby residents even if they tested negative, but with the recent surge in home treatment patients, these people no longer meet the admission criteria." The official continued, "We have been continuously requesting approval from the bed allocation team, but they have not been able to accommodate them," shaking their head, "We try to admit them to living treatment centers if possible, but there are so many waiting that we are managing them as if they were home treatment patients."

Nursing hospitals are also suffering from caregiver shortages due to confirmed cases. Director Roh Dong-hoon of Carnation Nursing Hospital said, "Many patients in nursing hospitals are bedridden and require high-concentration oxygen supply or suction services," adding, "Because the work is tough, many nurses and caregivers leave, and existing medical staff have to provide caregiving services as well, which is exhausting." Director Roh added, "There is no support for protective equipment or financial aid, so the hospital has to handle everything on its own," and "When a confirmed case occurs, the hospital closes one room and blocks air entry with plastic sheets, barely managing to hold on."

Jae-ae Jeong, head of the COVID-19 Response Support Division at Seoul City, said, "The government has issued administrative orders to expand beds, but even if beds are increased, there is a severe shortage of medical personnel," adding, "It takes time to recruit medical staff to care for patients and to prepare facilities to receive patients, which makes the shortage of beds feel even more acute."

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