"20 Deaths Occur After COVID-19 Cluster Infection in Hospital... Bereaved Families Petition Blue House for Investigation"

A national petition urging an investigation by hospitals regarding COVID-19 infections and deaths has been posted.
[Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board Capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] As the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths sharply increased at a hospital in Andong, bereaved families have called for a thorough investigation through a national petition.

On the 6th, a petition titled "I am a bereaved family member of a COVID-19 victim. Please investigate the hospital and Andong city quarantine authorities" was posted on the Blue House national petition board. As of 4 p.m. on the 9th, over 2,400 people had agreed to the petition.

The petitioner introduced himself as the son of a COVID-19 victim, stating, "My mother was the second death among the 20 deaths reported so far from a hospital in Andong." He wrote, "My mother was admitted to the hospital's integrated nursing and caregiving ward on the 9th of last month due to a mild cerebral infarction, then tested positive for COVID-19 on the 14th due to an infection within the ward, and passed away on the 22nd. She had completed her second Pfizer vaccination, but experienced a breakthrough infection."

The petitioner claimed, "In the hospital's 11th-floor ward, the infection started on the 11th of last month from a hospital staff member, but the hospital did not inform patients and guardians, resulting in infected and non-infected individuals spending the weekend together in the same ward." He added, "It was only on the 13th that the hospital hurriedly implemented cohort isolation and conducted full testing of patients and hospital staff."

He emphasized, "As a result of inadequate responses by Andong city and the hospital, as of the 3rd, there were 136 confirmed cases and 20 deaths, resulting in a fatality rate of 14.7%." He continued, "This hospital is a major regional general hospital in northern Gyeongsangbuk-do equipped with various advanced facilities, yet the initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak was very insufficient, and the Andong city quarantine authorities left the hospital to handle the situation on its own, watching as if it were a distant problem."

The petitioner also recalled, "After the 14th of last month, during the 11th-floor cohort isolation, there were no negative pressure rooms at all." He said, "Patients were not individually isolated; only the entrance to the 11th floor was blocked." He added, "This hospital was not originally designated as an infectious disease-dedicated hospital. It was only on the 22nd of last month, following this incident, that about 50 negative pressure rooms were established on the 7th floor and the hospital was designated as an infectious disease-dedicated hospital."

The petitioner stressed, "The fatality rate at this regional large general hospital was 16 times higher than the national average COVID-19 fatality rate of 0.9%. I believe this outcome was caused by the improper response of the Andong city quarantine authorities and the hospital where the outbreak occurred." He pointed out, "Currently, the Andong city public health center says it left the response to the hospital, and the hospital claims it did not receive proper support from Gyeongsangbuk-do or Andong city. It seems they are shifting responsibility to each other."

He wrote, "It is very heartbreaking and frustrating to have lost my mother so suddenly. If it had not been for the COVID-19 infection within the hospital's 11th-floor ward, my mother would still be alive." He also said, "The bereaved families of the other 19 COVID-19 victims related to the hospital must feel the same as our family." He urged, "Please unite efforts to conduct a thorough investigation and audit of the Andong city quarantine authorities and the hospital where the outbreak occurred, so that such incidents never happen again in our society."

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