NURSING ACADEMY GRADUATES DEPLOYED TO DAEGU

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Some 70 graduates of the Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy were deployed to help coronavirus patients in Daegu upon graduation. The shortage of nurses in Daegu, where the number of coronavirus patients keeps soaring, is even impossible to estimate at this point.

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[Soundbite] (KOREA ARMED FORCES NURSING ACADEMY(MAR. 3)) : "As an officer of the Republic of Korea, I swear to do my best for my country and its people."

Seventy-five nursing officers fresh from the academy have been deployed to help treat COVID-19 patients in Daegu. Their duties begin at Armed Forces Daegu Hospital on Wednesday.

[Soundbite] KIM JI-HYUN(SECOND LIEUTENANT) : "We will do our best to protect the health and safety of Daegu citizens. We ask for their trust and encouragement."

There's severe shortage of medical professionals in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. The government of Gyeongsangbuk-do says the region needs 160 nurses at the provincial hospital. It's impractical and virtually impossible to estimate the shortage of nurses in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, where more than a thousand infected people have been hospitalized and another two thousand are waiting in line. Because access to select areas is restricted to prevent infection, nurses must also deliver meals to patients and clean hospital wards in addition to nursing.

[Soundbite] LEE SEON-HWA(NURSE, YEUNGNAM UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER) : "In addition to nursing, we also deliver meals to patients, clean their rooms and transport them. We have eight responsibilities to fulfill."

Some 1,300 nurses volunteered to help out at medical facilities in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province this week. But it's not enough to alleviate the shortage of medical staff as the number of infected patients continues to rise daily.