Authorities: "Hospital Bed Utilization Continues to Improve... Omicron Expected to Become Dominant Variant"

Son Young-rae, Head of the Social Strategy Division, Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Ministry of Health and Welfare [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The quarantine authorities have assessed that the COVID-19 outbreak has entered a declining trend, and the healthcare system's capacity to respond is gradually improving due to the expansion of hospital beds and other measures.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated this during the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the morning of the 29th. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the same day, there were 5,409 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. This is an increase of 1,544 cases compared to the previous day's 3,865, marking a return to the 5,000 range after three days, but it is a decrease of 2,046 cases compared to a week ago (the 22nd), when there were 7,455 cases.

Son emphasized, "We are continuously expanding hospital beds, and the healthcare system's capacity to respond is gradually improving." Compared to the transition to daily recovery on the 1st of last month, the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds was 1,083 at that time, but now it has increased by 301 beds, or 28%, to 1,384. The number of semi-intensive care unit beds increased from 455 to 1,086, an addition of 631 beds, or 139%. Infectious disease-dedicated hospital beds are currently operating at 14,000, a 38% increase from about 10,000.

Son said, "The bed occupancy rate is also continuously improving," adding, "When the bed occupancy rate falls below 80%, allocation becomes smoother, resolving waiting times, and when it is below 70%, beds can be operated without any problems, providing smooth treatment. The occupancy rate of ICU beds rose to 82.6% on the 13th but has now decreased to 74.9%."

The ICU bed occupancy rate in the metropolitan area is 78.7%, entering the 70% range for the first time since the 20th of last month. The occupancy rate of semi-intensive care beds is 63.2%, and that of beds for moderate patients is 50.4%. Son added, "The number of confirmed patients waiting for hospitalization for more than a day increased to 802 on the 13th, but since yesterday, all patients have been assigned hospital beds, reducing the number of patients waiting for hospitalization to zero," indicating that the issue of delayed bed allocation has been resolved.

However, the number of critically ill patients has not decreased. As of the same day, there were 1,151 critically ill patients, an increase of 49 from the previous day, setting a new record again. The number of critically ill patients has remained in the 1,000 range for nine consecutive days since the 21st. Authorities believe that some time lag is needed before the overall decrease in the outbreak size leads to a reduction in critically ill cases.

They also forecast that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will inevitably become the dominant strain domestically. Son said, "While we can delay the spread as much as possible, it is ultimately difficult to avoid Omicron replacing Delta as the dominant strain in Korea at some point," adding, "It is clear that the transmission speed is very fast, and discussions are ongoing about how much resistance to vaccination and the rates of severe illness and fatality will decrease."

Meanwhile, regarding the recommendation issued by the Korean Medical Association's COVID-19 Countermeasures Expert Committee that COVID-19 patients released from isolation should receive medical treatment at healthcare institutions only after testing negative on a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, Son said, "This standard is not operated globally," and stated that they will consult with the association and experts. Earlier, on the 23rd, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that requiring PCR tests for those released from isolation violates medical law.

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