"76 Severe COVID-19 Patients... 51 in Critical Condition (Update)"

Image source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As of the 1st, there are 76 patients with severe or higher symptoms among the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea, of which 51 are in critical condition.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19, as of this date, 25 patients are classified as severe, requiring oxygen masks (worn) or having a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius or higher, and 51 patients are in critical condition using mechanical ventilation or artificial respirators. Among the critical patients, there is one person in their 20s and two people in their 40s.

For patients with severe or higher symptoms undergoing isolation treatment, treatments such as ECMO and artificial respirator therapy, as well as oxygen mask therapy, are administered. ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a device that removes blood from critically ill patients whose heart and lungs are not functioning properly, supplies oxygen, and then returns it to the body.

Artificial respirators through intubation are also used to treat patients who are unable to breathe on their own. For patients in a better condition than this but with a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius or higher or decreased oxygen saturation due to pneumonia, oxygen mask therapy is provided.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea as of midnight on this day is 9,887, and the total number of deaths among confirmed cases, including the official count by health authorities, is 166.