"Korea, Lowest COVID-19 Mortality Rate Despite Surge in Cases" ... The Background Behind Reduced Impact

Research by Professor Lim Soo's Team at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital
Domestic Mortality Rate 0.13%...Lower Than Other Countries
Main Factors Analyzed Including High Civic Awareness
Active Mask Wearing Also Prevented Spread

Im Soo, Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] South Korea's COVID-19 mortality rate was found to be the lowest among the top 30 countries with the highest number of cases. Effective healthcare systems, proactive isolation of high-risk groups, and active cooperation between the government and hospitals were cited as the main factors.

Professor Lim Soo's team from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 17th that they published a research paper containing South Korea's COVID-19 response strategies and lessons learned. The research paper was published in the global academic journal 'The Lancet Regional Health'.

South Korea initially had a low number of infections due to the public's active compliance with quarantine rules and participation in social distancing, but with the emergence of the Omicron variant, new daily confirmed cases exceeded 600,000 in March this year. Nevertheless, South Korea recorded the lowest mortality rate among the 30 countries with the highest number of COVID-19 patients. South Korea's COVID-19 mortality rate was 0.13%, which is very low compared to the United States (1.22%), Italy (0.99%), the United Kingdom (0.79%), and Germany (0.55%).

The research team identified the reasons for South Korea's lower mortality rate compared to other countries as ▲ South Korea's effective healthcare system ▲ proactive isolation of elderly and high-risk patients ▲ active cooperation between the central government and public/private hospitals ▲ high vaccination rates.

Comparison graph of COVID-19 mortality rates and vaccination rates in major countries including Korea. [Source: Bundang Seoul National University Hospital]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, government-operated medical services shifted to managing COVID infections, designating 257 public hospitals and 479 regional public medical centers as dedicated COVID-19 treatment facilities to manage patients. To treat high-risk patients with underlying conditions, 15,834 COVID-19 patient beds, including negative pressure isolation wards, were installed to manage and treat moderately severe patients. Additionally, South Korea's vaccination rates were overwhelmingly high compared to other countries, with 87.9% for the first dose and 87.1% for the second dose, preventing progression to severe illness.

The research team noted that several lessons can be learned from these response measures. They mentioned that to prevent epidemics or reduce their severity, early active surveillance, isolation, and management are necessary, along with timely and regular vaccinations. Furthermore, the government's active recommendation of mask-wearing was a major factor in reducing respiratory infections. South Korea's mask-wearing rate was 94%, the highest in the world, and when COVID-19 cases surged explosively in the United States and Europe in 2020, South Korea's incidence rate remained very low.

Professor Lim explained, "Although South Korea's COVID-19 infection rate is high, the mortality rate is the lowest thanks to effective response strategies," adding, "To cope with highly contagious and dangerous diseases like South Korea's COVID-19 response strategy, it is necessary to prevent and manage through active public cooperation and effective healthcare systems." He continued, "During the COVID-19 period, factors such as lack of exercise and difficulty in consuming healthy foods have worsened cardiovascular diseases and metabolic indicators among the general public, making it a time when national-level measures are needed to prevent this."

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