South Korea considering mandating hospitals provide more ICU beds for Covid-19 patients

South Korea reported 1,987 new coronavirus cases on Aug 11, 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL (REUTERS) - South Korea is considering mandating that its largest hospitals provide at least 1.5 per cent of their intensive care beds for severely ill Covid-19 patients as such cases rise along with record new infections, two sources familiar with the plan said.

While the country has a relatively low mortality rate - 0.98 per cent as at Wednesday (Aug 11) - the more contagious Delta variant and a rise in domestic travel over the summer have contributed to a spike in severely ill coronavirus patients, many of them young and unvaccinated.

Serious Covid-19 cases jumped from 145 as at July 10 to 372 on Wednesday, official data showed. Of the severely ill patients, 62.1 per cent were between the ages of 20 and 59.

The health authorities convened a meeting with directors of the top 31 hospitals on Tuesday where they revealed plans to issue an administrative order to mandate that hospitals designate 1.5 per cent of their beds in intensive care units (ICUs) for serious cases, two sources who were present at the video conference told Reuters.

They declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Since December, hospitals have already had to set aside at least 1 per cent of their ICU beds, but hospital officials say that it goes far beyond simply freeing up a few more beds as coronavirus patients often require whole floors or wards be sealed off, and specially trained medical teams tasked with their treatment.

Many directors objected to the government plan on the grounds that the ICU capacities were physically impossible to free up at such short notice, one source said.

Dr Yu Kyung-ho, director of Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in Anyang, who also attended the meeting, said his hospital has 11 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation devices, and eight were already occupied by severely ill coronavirus patients.

"Just focusing on securing more ICU beds wouldn't solve the problem," Dr Yu said. "If our hospital assigns more ICU beds for Covid-19 patients, we will need to send non-Covid-19 patients home."

A Health Ministry official acknowledged that a meeting with hospital officials was held, but did not confirm the plan.

South Korea has 810 ICU beds for severely ill Covid-19 patients nationwide and 298 of these were available as at Wednesday evening, the official said. Of the vacant spots, 146 were in capital Seoul and neighbouring areas.

South Korea reported 1,987 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The total number of infections in the country stands at 218,192, with 2,138 deaths.

Around 16 per cent of South Korea's 52 million population have been fully vaccinated, while 42.5 per cent have received at least one dose of a vaccine. The government aims to inoculate 70 per cent with at least one shot by September.

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