[Exclusive] 70s Patient with Respirator Wanders for 10 Hours Searching for Hospital Bed in Ambulance

On the 3rd, medical staff at Seoul Municipal Seobuk Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, are guiding a citizen to the COVID-19 patient ward. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] A COVID-19 patient in their 70s living in Seoul has been waiting in an ambulance for over 10 hours due to the lack of intensive care unit (ICU) beds. The number of severe COVID-19 cases has reached a record high of 857, pushing the shortage of ICU beds in the Seoul metropolitan area to a critical level.

Medical staff at a top-tier hospital in the metropolitan area told Asia Economy on the morning of the 9th, "A 74-year-old elderly COVID-19 patient is in a serious condition, and we are searching for ICU beds here and there, but many hospital ICUs are already full, so there is nowhere to admit the patient." They added, "The patient is in a critical state and cannot be taken off the ventilator, so they have been waiting in the ambulance for over 10 hours for a bed, which is an urgent situation."

The official explained, "Calls requesting beds keep coming in," and said, "Since these are severe cases among the elderly, ICU beds are necessary, and there is concern that this could lead to death."

On this day, the number of new COVID-19 cases was 7,102, exceeding 7,000 for the second consecutive day. In particular, the number of severe cases increased to 857, intensifying the shortage of ICU beds in the metropolitan area.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of midnight, the number of patients waiting for a bed for more than one day in the metropolitan area rose to 1,003. Among them, 302 have been waiting for more than four days. Of those waiting more than one day, 454 are elderly aged 70 or older, many of whom have underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, which could lead to severe illness or death if they do not secure a bed in time.

As of 5 p.m. the previous day, the ICU bed occupancy rate in the metropolitan area was 85.0%, with 685 of the total 806 beds in use. By region, Seoul was at 88.4%, Incheon at 87.3%, and Gyeonggi at 81.1%, leaving only 121 ICU beds available in the metropolitan area.

Professor Cheon Eun-mi of Ewha Mokdong Hospital pointed out, "An 85% ICU occupancy rate means it is practically saturated when considering admission and discharge procedures," and warned, "As the number of elderly patients in their 70s receiving home treatment increases, cases of death while waiting for beds will surge."

Although the medical field is already in a state of emergency, the government continues to repeat that it is "considering special measures." Experts unanimously agree that if special measures are not implemented immediately, the situation will worsen uncontrollably.