COVID-19 DEATH TOLL RISES

[Anchor Lead]

The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Korea has surpassed one thousand. Most of the victims being 60 or older, many fatalities occurred in the past one month. Authorities are saying preventing infections in high-risk groups and improving treatment for ICU patients is critical.

[Pkg]

13 more COVID-19 cases linked to a nursing hospital in Gwangsan-gu District of Gwangju were reported. The total case count reaches 78, with 54 being hospitalized patients. The death toll has soared lately as the virus spreads rampantly in vulnerable facilities. The number of deaths from COVID-19 surpassed one thousand in Korea. About half of them occurred in the past one month, during the third wave of the pandemic. It took nine months for the death toll to rise to 500, but only one month to surpass one thousand. That’s because the number of COVID-19 cases is surging, while the percentage of senior patients aged 60 and up also grows

[Soundbite] LEE SANG-WON(CENTRAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT HQs) : "Mortality rate is surging among people aged 60 and up. With many people from this age group catching the virus, the number of deaths is inevitably going up."

Just one month ago, patients 60 and older accounted for slightly over 20 percent. But now they make up over 30 percent. About half of those who lost their lives to COVID-19 contracted the virus at hospitals and nursing facilities. As the outbreak snowballed, the number of patients waiting for hospital beds surpassed 500 late last year, resulting in more deaths. So far, ten people have died while waiting to be hospitalized. Eight of them passed away in a month. Given that most of the deaths occur about three weeks after contracting the virus, the number of fatalities will likely grow for the time being.


[Soundbite] CHOI WON-SUK(PROF., KOREA UNIVERSITY ANSAN HOSPITAL) : "Nursing hospitals cannot afford to take proper care of COVID-19 patients. To improve their chances of survival, they must be transported to hospitals that can treat them."

Some experts say reducing the number of overall cases is vital to minimize deaths, as hospitals and nursing facilities always bear the brunt of community transmissions.