Busan COVID-19 Suspected Patients Lead to Consecutive Emergency Room Closures in Large Hospitals

On the 17th, a suspected COVID-19 patient at Busan Medical Center died
Test results confirmed COVID-19 'negative'

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Yoseop] As suspected COVID-19 patients visited emergency rooms of large hospitals in the Busan area, emergency closures for confirmation tests occurred one after another.

On the 17th, at Busan Medical Center, a man in his 40s who had returned from Vietnam died while receiving treatment, leading to the closure of the emergency room.

According to the Busan Police Agency, at around 8:40 a.m. that day, Mr. A reported to 119 complaining of difficulty breathing and chest pain.

Mr. A was immediately transported to the emergency room of Busan Medical Center and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he ultimately passed away around 9:20 a.m. Mr. A had traveled to Vietnam and returned that morning, and it was reported that he did not have a fever symptom.

The hospital temporarily closed the emergency room considering that Mr. A was a patient who had traveled abroad and conducted a COVID-19 confirmation test. The COVID-19 test result for Mr. A was confirmed as "negative."

Earlier, on the 16th, at Dong-A University Hospital, a foreign patient showed pneumonia symptoms, causing the emergency room to be closed for about 10 hours.

Mr. B, an American who entered the country on the 2nd, visited the emergency room of Dong-A University Hospital around 6 p.m. that day with pneumonia symptoms.

The hospital immediately closed the emergency room and conducted a COVID-19 confirmation test for Mr. B, who received a final negative result around 8 a.m. on the 17th.

Dong-A University Hospital lifted the temporary closure after confirming that the symptoms were simple pneumonia.