QUARANTINE CENTERS PACKED WITH PATIENTS

[Anchor Lead]

Daily cases of COVID-19 in Korea have been in four digits for a month now. Securing quarantine centers is the most pressing issue. There are still available beds in the greater Seoul area, whereas Daejeon is running out of quarantine centers and hospital beds for seriously ill patients.

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​This quarantine center in Daejeon opened in late July. It can accommodate 116 COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms. The day after the center opened, it was already at 90 percent capacity. The city’s first quarantine center, that can accommodate 160 patients opened back in April but is set to close later this month. Due to strong opposition from the locals, authorities promised to run the facility for only four months. Daily cases in the city have been over 70 on average recently. The city is seeing 300-400 coronavirus patients weekly, but it will have only one quarantine center beginning next month. All 125 hospital beds for seriously ill patients in the city are currently occupied. Some 70-80 infected people daily have to wait at home until more beds become available.

[Soundbite] Kim Ki-ho(Daejeon City Government) : "Some infected people are waiting for hospital beds at home. Our city needs more quarantine centers as soon as possible."

Coronavirus cases are surging in non-capital regions. Quarantine centers in Gwangju and Jeju-do are running at over 80 percent capacity. In the greater Seoul area there are 44 quarantine centers that are currently 57 percent full. Although there are still many beds available, it’s too soon to be rest assured as the fourth wave of COVID-19 is showing no signs of abating.