Health Authorities Expect Up to 2,500 Critical Patients in Early March... Manageable Capacity Anticipated

On the 18th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 100,000 for the first time in history, the waiting line for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the Songpa-gu Public Health Center screening clinic in Seoul was longer than the waiting line for rapid antigen tests. Photo by Honam Moon munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The quarantine authorities have projected that the number of severe COVID-19 patients could reach up to 2,500 in early next month.

Lee Gi-il, the 1st Controller of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), stated at the regular briefing on the 18th, "Experts predict that the number of new confirmed cases on March 2 will be 180,000, and around that time, the number of severe patients is expected to range from 1,000 to 2,500."

However, the quarantine authorities believe that the current medical system can handle such severe cases. The controller said, "We can stably respond to about 2,000 patients," adding, "It seems possible to manage up to 2,500 patients as well."

Nationwide, there are 2,651 severe COVID-19 beds, of which 779 are in use, resulting in an occupancy rate of 29.4%. The occupancy rate for semi-severe patient beds is 51.2% (1,596 in use out of 3,116), and the occupancy rate for infectious disease dedicated hospital beds is 43.5% (8,684 in use out of 19,985), indicating that there is still capacity available.

Along with inpatient beds, home treatment management medical institutions have also been expanded. As of midnight on this day, there are 699 management medical institutions monitoring the intensive home treatment group twice daily, capable of accommodating over 200,000 intensive care patients. There are 5,264 hospitals and clinics providing telephone consultations and prescriptions for the general management group when necessary. Additionally, 198 home treatment medical consultation centers operating 24 hours are currently in service, having conducted 18,661 medical consultations and 28,085 administrative guidance sessions up to the previous day.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said, "Many experts have presented predictive models indicating that the peak will occur in late February or early March," adding, "The government also hopes to form the peak during this three-week social distancing period."

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