New COVID-19 Cases Under 200,000 After 25 Days... "Severe Cases Reach Record High"

On the 17th, about 30% of 620,000 people
Late next month, expected to reach high 100,000s
Deaths surge 2-3 weeks after peak
Medical staff suffer extreme fatigue due to manpower shortage

On the 28th, when 187,213 new COVID-19 cases were reported, the temporary screening clinic in front of Seoul City Hall was less crowded than usual. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases fell below 200,000 for the first time in 25 days. This is being seen as a sign that the Omicron variant wave has passed its peak and the spread is slowing down.

However, with the number of critically ill patients reaching a record high, the medical field is on high alert due to the management of these patients and a shortage of medical staff.

Cases drop from 620,000 to 180,000

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 28th, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 187,213 from the previous day, bringing the total cumulative cases to 12,003,054. This is the first time since the 3rd of this month, when 198,800 cases were recorded, that daily new cases have fallen into the 100,000 range. In terms of numbers, it is the lowest since the 1st of this month, when 138,990 cases were reported.

The number is more than 20,000 lower than a week ago on the 21st (209,137 cases), and compared to the record high of 621,197 cases on the 17th, it is less than one-third. Kwon Deok-cheol, First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said, "After 11 weeks, the Omicron wave has passed its peak and is gradually declining." Earlier, domestic research teams also predicted that if current social distancing and other quarantine policies are maintained, the number of cases will gradually decrease, with daily cases expected to fall to the high 100,000s by mid to late next month.

However, it is too early to be complacent as increases in critically ill patients and deaths typically appear 2 to 3 weeks after the peak of the wave. The number of critically ill patients reached a record high of 1,273 on this day. This is an increase of 57 from the previous day and 29 more than the previous record of 1,244 on the 16th. The number of deaths also remains close to 300, with 287 reported.

The death toll surged to 429 on the 17th and 469 on the 24th, with 2,162 deaths recorded during the week of the 15th to the 21st, and a staggering 2,429 deaths between the 22nd and 28th. Moreover, infections among the elderly aged 60 and above, who are at higher risk of severe illness, have been steadily increasing recently.

Medical staff exhausted, "Cannot accept more patients"

Currently, 70.0% (1,978 out of 2,825) of beds dedicated to critically ill patients nationwide are in use. Outside the metropolitan area, the occupancy rate of critically ill beds has risen to 75.9%. The occupancy rate for semi-critical patient beds is 70.3% (3,761 out of 5,353 beds in use), and for moderate patient beds, it is 45.8% (11,447 out of 24,987 beds in use).

As the number of critically ill patients and deaths surge, not only beds but also the capacity of medical staff to respond is under severe strain. In frontline hospitals, many medical staff infected with COVID-19 are quarantined for about five days, leaving the remaining staff to care for the increasing number of severe patients, pushing them to their limits.

A nurse named Lee (29) at a COVID-19 dedicated hospital in the metropolitan area said, "One in five nurses tested positive, and every time a medical staff member is confirmed positive, the work schedule is revised, pushing our physical limits." Moon (25), a nurse at a general hospital, also said, "With medical staff infections continuing and a shortage of personnel, we are working for six hours at a time wearing protective suits inside the isolation zone."

Experts emphasize the need to efficiently allocate beds and medical personnel during the imminent surge in critically ill patients and deaths. Baek Soon-young, Emeritus Professor at the Catholic University Medical School, pointed out, "Considering the infected medical staff, the number of available beds is likely much lower than the official statistics. Of the approximately 2,800 ICU beds currently held, only about 2,500 may actually be usable."

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