[Exclusive] 1.3 Daily Deaths Among COVID-19 Home Treatment Patients... Revealing Gaps in High-Risk Group Management

37 Home Deaths During Home Treatment from August 1-28 at Peak of 6th Wave
278 Deaths in Care Facilities Including Nursing Hospitals and Homes
Impact of Abolishing Intensive Management Group... "Delayed Detection of Severe Progression"
Need for High-Risk Group Management Measures Despite Recovery Discussions

A citizen visiting the screening clinic at Jung-gu Public Health Center in Seoul is undergoing a test. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Mr. A (88), who lived in Gyeonggi-do, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-last month. Although elderly, he had completed up to the 4th dose of vaccination, and his initial symptoms were mild, such as cough and sore throat, so he was assigned to home treatment. However, Mr. A died at home four days after the positive diagnosis. The direct cause of death was confirmed as multiple organ failure. It is presumed that his physical functions rapidly deteriorated after COVID-19 infection, leading to death.

During August, when the ‘6th wave’ caused by the BA.5 variant peaked, it was confirmed that about 1.3 patients receiving home treatment died each day. Although the current government emphasized ‘scientific quarantine,’ there are criticisms that management of high-risk groups was not properly conducted.

According to data obtained by Asia Economy on the 20th through an information disclosure request from the Central Disease Control Headquarters, 37 confirmed patients assigned to home treatment died at home over the four weeks from August 1 to 28. The exact age range of the deceased was not specified, but since most (92.7%) of the deaths in the first to fourth weeks of August were aged 60 or older, it is presumed that most home deaths were also among high-risk groups.

There were 278 confirmed patients who died in long-term care facilities such as nursing hospitals and nursing homes. These facilities have high density and many elderly users, and have been designated as high-risk facilities since the early stages of COVID-19. During this period, the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 was 1,522, meaning that one in five (20.2%) died at home or in care facilities without receiving treatment in severe or critical care beds.

The quarantine authorities have so far disclosed the number of COVID-19 deaths and age groups but did not reveal specific places of death. Although only for the month of August, this is the first time that the status of deaths in high-risk places such as care facilities and home treatment has been disclosed. August was the period when the 6th wave peaked, with a maximum of 180,745 new confirmed cases in a single day (August 17).

In particular, it was revealed that more than one person died at home daily without even being transferred to a hospital, exposing gaps in the management of high-risk groups that were actually needed during the period of reduced fatality rates. It is analyzed that this is partly due to the abolition from August of the classification of high-risk home treatment patients as a focused management group, who were previously monitored by phone calls and other means. Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center pointed out, “With the disappearance of phone monitoring of the focused management group, managing high-risk groups has become difficult. Even after diagnosis, if there are issues such as living alone elderly or family members living far away, the progression to severe illness may not be detected quickly during treatment.”

Recently, as the COVID-19 wave has entered a declining phase and discussions on returning to normal life, including lifting indoor mask mandates, have intensified, experts emphasize the need for management plans for high-risk groups with high fatality rates. This is because deaths among high-risk groups can continue even after the transition to endemic.

Specifically, structural problems in care facilities and diagnosis and treatment for high-risk groups such as elderly living alone in the community and disabled persons facing difficulties in daily life are identified as areas for improvement. Professor Eom said, “Experts and the government need to continuously discuss how to resolve these issues and provide related support; otherwise, new infectious disease problems will continue to arise. Currently, vaccines that reduce severity and have long-lasting effects must continue to be developed, and the overall framework for long-term care, including facility improvements, must also change.”

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