A COVID-19 confirmed patient hospitalized at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital in Gyeongbuk is being transferred to Busan National University Hospital. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] It has been confirmed that there are a total of 3 severe patients among the domestic confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) who are receiving treatment with 'ECMO' or ventilators.
Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on the afternoon of the 23rd, "Among the confirmed patients, 3 are on ECMO or mechanical (artificial) ventilation, and 4 are being treated with oxygen masks."
ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a device that supplies oxygenated blood into the body for critically ill patients whose heart or lung function is impaired and who have difficulty breathing. Ventilators are mainly used for patients who cannot breathe on their own, while oxygen masks are used when patients can breathe but have decreased oxygen saturation due to symptoms such as pneumonia.
Gwak Jin, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Patient Management Team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, explained, "Among the critically ill patients, 2 are not related to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk, and the remaining 1 patient was diagnosed at Daenam Hospital."
As of 9 a.m. on the same day, the total number of COVID-19 patients in Korea is 556. Among the confirmed cases, 4 have died. The quarantine authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of death and its relation to COVID-19.
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