Critical Patients and Deaths Increasing Again in Resurgence... Expansion of Vaccination for High-Risk Groups

Severe COVID-19 Patients Near 400... Doubled in 3 Weeks
Vaccination Rate for Updated Winter Vaccine Still Stagnant

On the 25th, when the 4th COVID-19 booster vaccination for those aged 60 and over who made advance reservations began, a citizen is receiving the vaccine at Bumin Hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. April 25, 2022 Photo by Joint Press Corps (Portrait rights consent obtained)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the 7th wave of COVID-19 spreads, the number of critically ill patients hospitalized is rapidly increasing. The daily death toll is also exceeding 50. However, the vaccination rate for the updated vaccines in preparation for the full-scale wave remains sluggish, raising concerns that the number of critically ill patients and deaths will increase further.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 14th, as of midnight the previous day, the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was counted at 396, approaching 400. Considering that the number of critically ill patients had decreased to 196 on October 22 after the 6th wave subsided last summer, this means the number has doubled in about three weeks.

An increase in critically ill patients leads to an increase in deaths. The number of deaths announced on the 9th of this month (based on the previous day) was 59, the highest since September 25 (73 deaths), and has continued with 52 on the 10th, 40 on the 11th, 46 on the 12th, and 48 on the 13th. The number of deaths over the past week (7th to 13th) was 293, which is 35.6% higher than a week earlier (216), 75.4% higher than two weeks earlier (167), and nearly double compared to three weeks earlier (150).

The problem is that the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients may increase further. The health authorities predict that during this wave, daily new confirmed cases could reach up to 200,000, and critically ill patients could increase to between 600 and 700.

On the other hand, as of the 11th, the additional vaccination rate for the winter season among those aged 60 and over who need a booster shot after four months since their last vaccination is only 10.8%, and the overall vaccination rate for those aged 60 and over is just 9.6%. In particular, only 7.7% of residents and workers in infection-vulnerable facilities such as nursing hospitals, nursing homes, and mental health promotion facilities have completed vaccination. Among the COVID-19 deaths in the first week of this month, 25.7% occurred in nursing hospitals and facilities.

Accordingly, the health authorities have decided to cooperate with related ministries, local governments, and affiliated organizations to support vaccination convenience in order to increase vaccination rates among infection-vulnerable facilities and the elderly.

To make it easier for the elderly to get vaccinated, proxy reservation desks for the elderly will be installed at administrative welfare centers, and it will be possible to receive on-site vaccination immediately at medical institutions without prior reservation through the website or same-day vaccination reservation via private SNS platforms such as Naver and Kakao, if the desired vaccine is available. For elderly people with mobility difficulties or residents of infection-vulnerable facilities, public health center visiting vaccination teams will provide vaccines on-site.

Some are also discussing the possibility of re-prohibiting in-person visits to infection-vulnerable facilities such as nursing hospitals and facilities, mental hospitals and facilities, and facilities for the disabled, which were resumed on the 4th of last month, if the situation worsens.

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