Medical Staff, Newborns, and Pregnant Women Confirmed Positive One After Another... "Hospitals Are Dangerous"

Confirmed Cases Over 170,000 for Two Consecutive Days... Cumulative Total Nears 2.5 Million
Shortage of Pediatric and Obstetric Medical Staff... 'Medical Collapse' Becoming a Reality

On the 24th, as the spread of COVID-19 continued, medical staff disinfected the glass walls at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

As the Omicron variant pandemic rushes toward its peak, the daily number of new COVID-19 cases has remained in the 170,000 range for two consecutive days. The cumulative number of confirmed cases is approaching 2.5 million. Amid a surge of infected medical staff and in-hospital patients at frontline hospitals, the burden is increasing not only in treating critically ill patients but also in caring for infants, young children, and pregnant women who test positive. There are concerns that the collapse of the healthcare system experienced during the 'gradual recovery to daily life (With Corona)' in December last year could be repeated.

170,000 Cases for Two Days... Critically Ill Patients Near 600

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 24th, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 170,016, bringing the cumulative total to 2,499,188. The number of critically ill patients hospitalized reached 581, an increase of 69 from the previous day, marking the highest figure since the Omicron pandemic began. The utilization rate of beds dedicated to severe patients was 39.1% (1,051 out of 2,688 beds) as of 5 p.m. the previous day, up 2.2 percentage points from 36.9% the day before.

The daily death toll also reached 82. The cumulative number of deaths stands at 7,689, with a cumulative fatality rate of 0.31%. Among the deaths reported that day, two were children under the age of nine who had tested positive for COVID-19 and were undergoing treatment. The number of patients receiving home treatment rose by 66,404 from the previous day (521,294) to 587,698.

The National Institute for Mathematical Sciences predicted that if the infection reproduction number was 1.67 the previous day, the daily number of confirmed cases could reach 213,332 in one week and 334,228 in two weeks. If the reproduction number is considered to be 1.9, the number of confirmed cases is expected to reach 231,714 on the 2nd of next month and 377,216 on the 9th, the day of the presidential election.

Frontline Hospitals on the Brink

With the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, frontline hospitals are also on high alert. Even large hospitals responsible for treating critically ill patients are facing a significant burden as medical staff and patients visiting or admitted to the hospital test positive in large numbers. In large hospitals, at least 10 to 20, and sometimes nearly 50, confirmed cases are reported daily.

At a tertiary general hospital in Seoul, around 20 medical staff and in-hospital confirmed cases occurred daily last week. Previously, confirmed cases within the hospital were communicated to staff through notices, but due to the high volume of cases, the policy was recently changed to only convey significant cases. Hospitals are currently responding by isolating rooms if infection does not spread within wards, but some wards have been closed due to cluster infections. Cases of confirmed patients visiting emergency rooms directly via 119 emergency services have increased, leading to frequent temporary closures and reopenings of emergency room operations.

An emergency room official at a general hospital in the Gyeonggi region said, "Since switching to home treatment, confirmed patients have been flooding the emergency room. There are many patients, but due to contamination concerns, we repeatedly disinfect and reopen, which greatly increases the workload for medical staff." Situations where some medical services are restricted are also frequent. An official at a tertiary general hospital in the metropolitan area said, "Some wards have been partially closed and reopened, causing delays in admissions and surgeries. It is difficult to accept dialysis patients unless they are critically ill."

What About Delivery for Confirmed Pregnant Women?

The increase in confirmed cases among infants and pregnant women is also a burden for hospitals due to a shortage of dedicated pediatric and obstetric staff. Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center said, "We continue to accept pregnant women, but there are not many obstetric staff, so we cannot admit many at once. Since there are few obstetric professors and residents, it seems difficult until specialized obstetric hospitals take the lead, which is also not easy." Most confirmed pregnant women undergo cesarean sections due to concerns about neonatal infection, but there is a shortage of staff to care for newborns afterward, leading to medical staff who care for COVID-19 patients being deployed to manage newborns as well.

Hospitals are operating emergency systems to prevent the Omicron wave from leading to a 'medical collapse.' While medical staff in general wards previously worked wearing only masks, measures have been strengthened to require Level 2 protective gear (mask and goggles) and maintain PCR testing for caregivers and guardians, exceeding government guidelines. Some large hospitals such as Seoul National University Hospital and Asan Medical Center are considering treating asymptomatic and mild in-hospital confirmed cases even in general wards.

The greatest concern among medical staff is the rapid increase in critically ill patients. Professor Baek Soon-young, emeritus professor at the Catholic University College of Medicine, said, "There are 2,600 beds for critically ill patients, but not all can be operated, and if the utilization rate exceeds 80%, waiting for beds is inevitable. If the number of critically ill patients reaches the 2,000 range, there will be a shortage of medical staff, so a Plan B must be prepared in advance."

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