Health authorities in S. Korea add more hospital beds to increase medical capacity amid uptick in...
Health authorities in S. Korea add more hospital beds to increase medical capacity amid uptick in critically ill patients 수도권 준중증 병상 52개 추가확보…영유아 확진 증가...어린이집도 '방역 패스 South Korea reported 23-hundred 68 new COVID-19 infections. While it's a slight drop from the day before, the number of critically ill patients remains at record levels. Authorities are working to ensure the healthcare system continues to function smoothly. Shin Ye-eun brings the updates. The number of patients in critical condition has been at record levels for the past three days, inching up to 4-hundred-75 on Friday. “79.2 percent of seriously and critically-ill patients are seniors aged 60 and above. Also, they make up 96.8 percent of fatalities. So the reality is,… the availability of hospital beds and our healthcare system in general… is being strained. " Nationwide, more than 40 percent of dedicated hospital beds for COVID-19 patients are still available. But the surge in critical patients has been concentrated in the greater Seoul area. As of Friday, more than 73 percent of all dedicated hospital beds for critically ill patients in this region were being used. That's why, despite adding more beds last week, authorities have been trying to expand their medical capacity further. "By the end of today,… we’re looking to add more patient accommodation for moderately-ill cases… so that in total,… they will take up 1 percent of the total capacity… of 7 large hospitals in the capital region with 700 beds or more. With that,… we’re expected to secure 454 more hospital beds for moderate cases,… on top of the 402 that were added by the administrative order.” There has also been a surge in the number of infants and toddlers catching the virus. Infections at daycare centers in the first week of November... jumped two-fold compared to October. That's why authorities have decided to impose vaccine passes for visitors at daycare centers. Visitors must show they are fully vaccinated or have a negative PCR test result from within the last 48 hours. Meanwhile, on the vaccination front, the country's full vaccination rate as of Friday reached 77-point-6 percent. Authorities also launched a COVID-19 vaccine safety committee to create a standard to evaluate the causality between vaccinations and any side-effects. Shin Ye-eun, Arirang News. #COVID19 #hospital #medical 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) : / arirangtvnews 📣 Arirang News(Twitter) : / arirangtvnews 📣 News Center(YouTube) : / newscenter_arirangtv 2021-11-12, 17:00 (KST)
