Over 300,000 Daily Cases for Two Consecutive Days... PCR Testing and Contactless Medication Pickup Also Facing Issues

Over 50,000 Confirmed Cases in High-Risk Group Aged 60+
Concerns Over Surge in Severe Cases and Deaths
Potential Large-Scale Bed Shortage by Month-End↑
Home Treatment Patients Near 1.3 Million, Prescription Confusion in Telemedicine

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Ki Ha-young and Lee Chun-hee] The number of daily new COVID-19 cases has exceeded 300,000 for two consecutive days, rapidly approaching the peak of the pandemic. The number of confirmed cases among high-risk groups aged 60 and over has also surpassed 50,000, raising concerns about a surge in critically ill patients and deaths. With nearly 1.3 million people undergoing home treatment, there are difficulties in prescribing medication through non-face-to-face medical consultations.

New Cases Exceed 300,000 for Second Day

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 10th, 327,549 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total cumulative cases to 5,539,650. This marks the second consecutive day with new cases in the 300,000 range, following the record high of 342,438 cases the previous day.

Among the new cases, 55,456 (16.9%) are high-risk individuals aged 60 and above. Considering the current Omicron detection rate of 99.96% and the fatality rate of 1.23% for those aged 60 and over infected with Omicron, there could be around 600 deaths per 50,000 confirmed cases in the future. The health authorities have also identified three major risk factors for severe illness and death based on recent analyses: elderly, unvaccinated individuals, and those with underlying conditions.

The number of critically ill patients and deaths is also increasing. The number of critically ill patients stands at 1,113, an increase of 26 from the previous day (1,087), maintaining the 1,000 range for the third consecutive day. The death toll reached 206, rising again to the 200s after recording 216 on the 5th. Medical experts predict that, considering the usual 1-2 week lag in increases, a large-scale hospital bed shortage could occur from late March to early April.

Out of 2,733 intensive care unit (ICU) beds for COVID-19 patients, 1,670 (61.1%) are currently in use. The health authorities explained that the system can handle between 2,000 and 2,500 critically ill patients. However, as the speed of the outbreak accelerates and concerns about bed shortages grow in medical facilities, the government held a meeting with heads of tertiary hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area to discuss COVID-19 medical response. At this meeting, options such as treating Omicron patients in general wards and diagnosing COVID-19 solely with professional rapid antigen tests were discussed. Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare, emphasized, "It is now time for all hospital medical staff to step up for the treatment of Omicron patients," and reiterated a call for cooperation from the medical community.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Confusion in PCR Testing and Non-Face-to-Face Medical Care

The capacity for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which can handle up to 850,000 tests per day, is reaching its limit. As delays in PCR testing?the first step in COVID-19 diagnosis?occur, health authorities have decided to adjust the number of PCR tests for overseas arrivals, nursing hospitals, and the military starting today. Overseas arrivals will only receive a PCR test on the first day of entry and a rapid antigen test on the seventh day. In infection-vulnerable facilities such as nursing hospitals and nursing homes, where the fourth vaccine dose is being administered, those who have completed the fourth dose will be exempt from PCR testing starting two weeks after the fourth dose. The military will also replace multiple tests with a single PCR test before enlistment.

The surge in home treatment patients has also increased confusion in non-face-to-face medical consultations and prescriptions. The number of home treatment patients increased by 322,904 the previous day, reaching 1,294,673. In contrast, the number of medical institutions is significantly insufficient. As of 8 a.m. today, there are 8,015 local medical institutions nationwide capable of telephone consultation and prescription for general management groups. However, with the general management group exceeding 1.1 million people, a simple calculation shows that each hospital must manage about 140 patients. Unlike the intensive management group, which receives consultations twice daily on a regular basis, the general management group must contact medical institutions directly, making it difficult even to get through by phone, leading to complaints.

Non-face-to-face medical care applications (apps) have emerged as an alternative, but as the number of home treatment patients rapidly increases, the waiting list for non-face-to-face consultations has also grown significantly. As soon as consultation reservations open, situations requiring "open runs" or the use of automatic clicking apps have occurred. Even after overcoming fierce competition for consultations, it has become common for prescribed medications to be difficult to receive immediately via quick delivery services, often arriving 2-3 days later by courier.

A pharmacist, Mr. A, operating a pharmacy in Seoul, said, "If patients cannot wait for medications prescribed through non-face-to-face consultations and purchase drugs separately, there is a risk of duplicate prescriptions," adding, "While the convenience of non-face-to-face prescriptions is acknowledged, it is questionable whether the authorities are properly managing this system."

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