Seoul: South Korea marked its deadliest day of the pandemic on Tuesday as an unreliable, delta-run spread thin hospitals and people died waiting for beds.
Health experts have warned that the country’s medical system is rapidly approaching its limit and deaths could get worse if the government continues to slow down and tighten social distancing.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Tuesday that 94 virus patients had died in the past 24 hours, while a record 906 were in critical or critical condition.
5,567 new infections were the highest yet – the daily length is usually shorter at the start of the week due to fewer tests on the weekend – indicating the virus has continued to gain momentum after the government tightened social distancing last week .
A senior health ministry official, Park Hyang, said medical resources are rapidly depleting in the densely populated capital Seoul and surrounding metropolitan areas, where about 86 percent of intensive care units designated for COVID-19 treatment are already occupied. Is. And more than 800 patients were still there. Waiting to be recruited. At least 17 patients died last week while waiting for beds at home or at facilities, the KDCA said.
Officials are squeezing hospitals to set aside more beds for COVID-19 patients by shortening the interval between second and third shots to three months and boosters from four or five months starting this week. Scramble to expedite the administration of shots. As of Tuesday, more than 81 percent of the population of more than 51 million had been fully vaccinated, but only 13 percent were given booster shots.
Park said during a briefing that officials could decide this week to further tighten restrictions based on the number of infections and hospitalizations.
Experts say South Korea’s disastrous surge underscores the risk of putting economic concerns before public health, when the highly contagious delta variant has reduced the effectiveness of vaccines and most people are still waiting for their booster shots. are. Huh.
The country reported nearly 6,000 new cases in a single day last week, including three consecutive days of over 7,000. This was three times the 2,000 level in early November, when the government announced the first step towards restoring pre-pandemic normalcy, with the government significantly easing social distancing norms.
In allowing larger gatherings, longer meal hours and a full reopening of schools, officials predicted improving vaccination rates would prevent hospitalizations and deaths, even that the virus continued to spread. But there has been an increase in the number of hospitalizations among people 60 years of age or older who were not fully vaccinated or whose immunity was reduced after vaccination in February.
Even as infections soar this month, the government has been hesitant to impose stronger restrictions, citing public fatigue, and even President Moon Jae-in declared that the country ” There will be no turning back from the past.”
Officials waited until last week to moderately intensify social distancing, banning private gatherings of seven or more people in the greater capital region and allowing adults to use restaurants and other indoor places to get their vaccinations. allowed to use. The status needs to be verified.
Health experts have called for stronger restrictions such as working from home and expanding government financial support for small businesses to ensure social distancing compliance.
A coalition of doctors’ groups, including the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, said in a joint statement on Monday, “We now need an urgent standoff to allow our medical system to restore its ability to respond (to the virus).” ” “We express deep concern that if (the government) fails to implement strong measures to address the crisis before it is too late, there will be a high probability of serious fatalities,” it said.
,