"No Hospital Beds, 30% of Confirmed Cases Stay Home"… Daegu Faces Triple Medical Response Crisis (Comprehensive)

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon, Jung Dong-hoon] Daegu Metropolitan City, where a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred, surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases on the 27th, becoming the first local government in the country to do so. It has been nine days since the first patient in the Yeongnam region was reported in this area on the 18th. As the number of new patients rapidly increases by about 100 per day on average, the local medical response system is struggling to keep up with the pace. Due to difficulties in securing additional nationally designated inpatient treatment beds, 30% of the patients diagnosed positive are waiting at home. There have been cases of death while waiting for hospitalization. On top of this, the treatment issues for patients with other underlying diseases and concerns over thousands of additional confirmed cases linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu have combined to create three major challenges.

307 Confirmed Overnight Including Shincheonji Daegu Church Members
63.8% of National Confirmed Cases from Daegu

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, as of 9 a.m. that day, Daegu had 1,017 confirmed COVID-19 cases. This accounts for 63.8% of the total domestic cases (1,595). The number of new patients started at 83 on the 22nd and increased to around 100 daily, with 307 new cases added overnight from 4 p.m. the previous day. The rapid increase in confirmed cases was due to focused diagnostic testing conducted until the previous day, targeting those who reported suspected COVID-19 symptoms among approximately 9,300 Shincheonji Daegu Church members.

According to the Shincheonji Daegu Church, as of 8 p.m. the previous day, 1,848 people had been tested for COVID-19, of whom 833 tested positive. Since these cases have not all been reflected in the official government tally, the number of confirmed cases is expected to rise further that afternoon. In Gyeongbuk Province, where 114 patients related to Cheongdo Daenam Hospital were reported, the number of new patients is decreasing. Although 117 cases were reported on the 22nd, the daily average has since dropped to double digits, with only 4 new cases overnight, contrasting with Daegu. The cumulative confirmed cases in Gyeongbuk stood at 321 as of 9 a.m. that day.

Critical Shortage of Nationally Designated Beds, Currently 1,013 Available
30% of Confirmed Patients Waiting for Hospitalization... Private Hospitals Reluctant
Deaths Occur During Self-Quarantine

According to Daegu city and health authorities, as of that morning, there were a total of 1,013 nationally designated inpatient treatment beds operating in Daegu for isolating and treating confirmed patients. So far, 447 patients have been hospitalized. About 100 more patients are scheduled to be admitted that day to Daegu Medical Center (49 beds), Keimyung University Daegu Dongsan Hospital (70 beds), Yeungnam University Hospital (73 beds), and Daegu Catholic University Hospital (75 beds).

Nevertheless, half of the confirmed patients in Daegu cannot be hospitalized immediately. A Daegu city official explained, "To prepare beds, patients hospitalized for other underlying diseases must be transferred to other hospitals, and the transfer process, including disinfecting ambulances, takes time. As the number of patients rapidly increases, we cannot move isolated patients quickly."

A representative from a nationally designated hospital in Daegu said, "About 30% of confirmed patients in the region are currently self-quarantining while waiting for hospital beds." This means approximately 300 patients must wait indefinitely for hospitalization. The official added, "Using private hospital beds could provide some relief, but there is reluctance to accept COVID-19 patients, so we have no choice but to rely on 'national beds.'"

Daegu also reported the 13th domestic death that morning. The deceased was a 74-year-old male member of the Shincheonji Daegu Church, who was subject to a full survey. He underwent a rapid COVID-19 test by a mobile screening team on the 24th and tested positive the next day. However, due to the lack of hospital beds, he could not receive inpatient treatment and waited at home, passing away around 9 a.m. due to respiratory distress.

Displaced Patients with Underlying Diseases in the Region... Deaths During Transfer of Critical Patients to Other Hospitals
"If Mass Confirmations Occur Among 10,000 Shincheonji Daegu Members, Response Will Collapse"

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin appealed at a regular briefing that day, "There is an absolute shortage of beds to treat confirmed patients." He added, "We are continuously negotiating with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to secure additional beds." Construction is also underway to secure 300 beds at the National Military Daegu Hospital.

However, there are problems here as well. A medical official in Daegu said, "Since medical staff and beds are being focused on COVID-19 response, additional problems have arisen, such as deaths occurring during the transfer of critically ill patients hospitalized for other underlying diseases to other hospitals. These deaths are not even reflected in statistics, raising concerns about further damage."

The greatest anxiety in Daegu is the rapid increase in patients related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church. A representative from a nationally designated hospital said, "It appears that 80% of Shincheonji members who reported symptoms suspected to be colds or similar have tested positive for COVID-19. There are nearly 10,000 believers in Daegu alone, and if a mass outbreak occurs among them, the medical system will become incapable of responding."

Among the symptomatic Shincheonji Daegu Church members who completed COVID-19 testing by the previous day, 133 tested negative excluding confirmed cases. The remaining 832 are awaiting results. Additionally, 7,446 believers are waiting for testing.