Chungnam Opens 'Living Treatment Center' at Gongju Central Fire Academy

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province will open a self-operated "Living Treatment Center" in Gongju.

According to the province on the 22nd, there are 487 beds available for confirmed patients to be hospitalized and treated within the region, of which 329 are currently in use. As of the 19th, the utilization rate reached 67.6%.

Specifically, among the 518 confirmed cases in the region from the 13th to the 19th, 310 patients are receiving treatment at medical institutions such as Cheonan Dankook University Hospital, 192 are admitted to central and Chungcheong area Living Treatment Centers, and 16 are hospitalized in other regional hospitals.

Currently, the number of confirmed patients exceeds the capacity that the region can accommodate, and for this reason, some confirmed patients are being hospitalized and treated in locations different from their residences.

Considering that the nationwide average daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases reached 1,454 during the recent week (July 13th to 19th), it is predicted that the shortage of beds will worsen further.

Accordingly, the province plans to proactively open and operate a Living Treatment Center at the Central Fire Academy located in Gongju to ensure that local confirmed patients can be smoothly hospitalized and treated.

This Living Treatment Center will have a capacity to accommodate 173 mild patients, with about 50 personnel including medical staff such as doctors and nurses, administrative staff, military, and police involved in its operation. The operation will begin on the 23rd.

Lee Jeong-gu, Director of the Disaster and Safety Office of the province, said, "The province decided to open and operate a self-run Living Treatment Center to solve the bed shortage issue in preparation for the 4th wave of COVID-19," adding, "We will make every effort to prevent future bed shortage problems."