The utilization rate of critically ill beds in the metropolitan area 76.4%… Review of Suspension of Daily Recovery – The Cheonji Ilbo

[천지일보=홍보영 기자] As the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is growing in the metropolitan area, it has been confirmed that more than three out of four critically ill beds in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon are already in use.

Accordingly, the government is expected to review the emergency plan to suspend the phased routine recovery that started this month in consideration of various indicators as the utilization rate of intensive care beds has risen by more than 9 percentage points (p) for the past week.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Central Accident Management Headquarters on the 15th, as of 5 pm on the 14th, the operation rate of beds dedicated to severely ill patients in the metropolitan area was 76.4%.

This means that only 162 of the 687 hospital beds for critically ill patients in the metropolitan area can be used.

The ‘ICU utilization rate of 75%’ presented as an example of the triggering criteria for the ’emergency plan’ announced by the government to halt the gradual recovery of daily life as it increased by 2.2%p for one day from the metropolitan area’s utilization rate for critically ill patients announced the previous day (74.2%) exceeded the standard.

By region, Seoul accounted for 78.6% (271 out of 345), up from 76.2% the previous day and approaching 80%.

Incheon used 78.5% (62 out of 79) and Gyeonggi 73.0% (192 out of 263), which was close to the 75% standard.

If you look at the recent four-week intensive care bed utilization trend from the 17th of last month to the 13th of this month, it is 42.4% → 42.1% → 46.6% → 56.0%, which is a 13.6p increase for one month and 9.4p compared to the previous week.

By region, the metropolitan area increased from 55.9% to 69.5%, and the non-metropolitan area increased by 10.2%p and 8.8%p from 20.6% to 34.9%, respectively.

Chang-Jun Lee, head of the hospital bed management team at Critical Subon, said, “The utilization rate of critically ill and moderately ill beds in the metropolitan area has risen to around 80%. We are considering it,” he said.

“First, in the metropolitan area, we are increasing the capacity to respond to medical care in the metropolitan area by securing more critically ill beds in tertiary general hospitals and sharing beds in the Chungcheong area and south Chungcheong area. We plan to designate new locations in Jeollabuk-do, where there are no dedicated hospitals, and to designate three additional locations in the metropolitan area,” he explained.

In addition, the government is currently discussing the construction of a transfer system between hospitals, living treatment centers, and home treatment as the number of cases of patients being transferred to non-metropolitan areas increases.

Director Lee said, “As the number of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area is increasing, the system for transferring critically ill patients in this area to a non-metropolitan area, the system for all patients between tertiary general hospitals and base hospitals, and the conversion of all living treatment centers and home treatment for convalescent patients, etc. At the central level, we are considering a fundamental transport system.”

He continued, “In order to secure a bed for critically ill patients by transferring them from a severe condition to a hospital with an improved condition, we have designated Ilsan Hospital in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province and Seongnam City Medical Center in the southern part, so that patients transferred from tertiary general hospitals should be admitted first. He added, “If possible, among the seriously ill in Gyeonggi-do, we are transferring them to the south of the Chungcheong area to secure a history in the metropolitan area.”

The shortage of spare beds for critically ill patients is not unique to the metropolitan area. In fact, the utilization rate of intensive care beds nationwide is also 62.1% (699 out of 1125), which means there is not enough room for beds.

In particular, in the case of Gyeongsangbuk-do, there were only three beds for critically ill patients with COVID-19 at first, and there are currently no beds left.

In Daejeon, the utilization rate of critically ill beds was 76.0% (19 out of 25), which was the only non-metropolitan area to exceed 75% except for Gyeongbuk.

The utilization rate of semi-critical beds for treating patients who are likely to improve or worsen from severe to severe is 63.7% nationwide, and 77.2% in the metropolitan area alone.

The utilization rate of hospital beds dedicated to infectious diseases for moderately severe COVID-19 patients was 78.0% in the metropolitan area and 61.4% nationwide.

The utilization rate of life treatment centers where asymptomatic and mild patients are quarantined was 49.3% nationwide as of 00:00 on the same day.

Looking at the rate of bed utilization for the past month, hospitals dedicated to infectious diseases rose from 42.3% to 59.0%, and life treatment centers also increased from 35.8% to 49.7%.

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