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SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea on Saturday recorded its 16th consecutive day of triple-digit increases in new coronavirus cases, amplifying a second wave of infections fueling concerns about a shortage of hospital beds in Seoul.
The Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) registered 308 new cases as of midnight Friday, most of them in the capital and surrounding areas.
Outbreaks have continued to erupt in churches, offices, nursing homes and medical facilities, even after officials tightened up social distancing rules.
The surge in cases has depleted hospital facilities, with the Health Ministry reporting that only 4.5% of beds in the Seoul metropolitan area were available for critical cases as of Friday, up from 22% for the week. previous.
“Only about 15 beds are immediately available in the Seoul metropolitan area for critically ill patients, as there were numerous patients who were in serious condition and needed to be hospitalized,” said Yoon Tae-ho, chief policy officer of the public health in the health center. ministry said Saturday.
“But we should have a little more space soon because more people are being released,” he said at a news conference.
The KCDC said more than 1,000 cases have been traced to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, which is at the center of the new wave of infections. Its director, the Reverend Jun Kwang-hoon, is an outspoken critic of the government who was also confirmed to have contracted the virus.
The church outbreak led to at least 25 new groups, and more than 300 people who joined an anti-government protest this month along with church members have tested positive so far, according to the KCDC.
The resurgence of cases has brought the total COVID-19 cases reported in the country to 19,400, including 321 deaths.
DOCTOR’S STRIKE
Coping with the second wave of infections has been complicated by an ongoing strike by nearly 16,000 interns and residents. The doctors withdrew on August 21, in a dispute over the government’s plans to increase the number of doctors to better deal with health crises like the coronavirus.
The Ministry of Health earlier this week filed a police complaint against at least 10 doctors and issued a return to work order for doctors, who are the backbone of health services in emergency rooms and care units. intensive.
Striking doctors have volunteered at temporary testing centers to help with the outbreak, but major hospitals have reported delays and outages since their departure.
“Doctors must stand by the side of patients as we face the possibility of a national transmission of COVID-19,” Yoon said on Saturday.
“We are in the last line of defense to calm the spread in the Seoul metropolitan area, and if we fail, the only option left for us is to increase the distancing rules to the highest level.”
The government took the unprecedented step on Friday to restrict the operation of restaurants in the capital area.
For a week starting Sunday, on-site meals at restaurants, pubs, and bakeries in the Seoul area will be prohibited after 9 p.m., while coffee shops, some of which have been identified as hotspots, are restricted to takeout and home delivery.
Churches, nightclubs, gyms and most of the schools in the area are already closed and masks are a must in public places.
(Report by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by William Mallard and Jane Wardell)
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