Rising flu cases strain crematories

[Anchor]

The flu epidemic continues.

In the second week of this month, the number of suspected flu cases was 86.1 per 1,000 people, indicating that the peak of the epidemic has passed, but this is still 11 times higher than five weeks ago.

The number of flu hospitalizations has also increased sevenfold compared to three weeks ago.

It is particularly dangerous for those with underlying health conditions or the elderly, as flu can lead to complications such as pneumonia.

Pneumonia, which can accompany symptoms like cough, high fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing, is one of the leading causes of death among the elderly.

Recently, with the flu epidemic and an increase in deaths among the elderly due to complications like pneumonia, it has become difficult to secure reservations at crematoriums.

In fact, there have even been cases of extending funeral periods.

Reporter Park Min-kyung has covered the situation on-site.

[Report]

This memorial park operated by the Seoul Facilities Corporation has been conducting an average of 65 cremations per day.

Due to a surge in reservations, the number was increased to 75 per day starting from the 14th.

An official from the Seoul Facilities Corporation explained that despite increasing the number of cremations due to a rise in deaths from the recent cold wave and flu, they are still at full capacity.

Most of the websites for reserving cremation facilities nationwide are also fully booked.

Given the situation, funerals that are typically held for three days are now being extended to four days due to the inability to secure cremation slots.

In the past three weeks, the cremation rate for three-day funerals has dropped significantly from the 78% range to the 58% range.

In response, the government has sent official documents to cremation facilities nationwide, instructing them to activate backup cremators and extend operating hours and the number of cremations.

[Park Moon-soo/Director of Elderly Support, Ministry of Health and Welfare: "Last week, we confirmed that the number of deaths increased by about 14%. We plan to continue operations until the cremation rate for three-day funerals recovers to over 70%."]

It is also becoming difficult to find flu medications and cold medicines at pharmacies.

The purchase of masks, which had decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic, has recently increased again.

[Jang Yu-ri/Pharmacist: "After the COVID-19 pandemic ended, mask sales had significantly decreased, but recently they have suddenly increased. It's about 1.5 times more than usual...."]

Health authorities emphasize that seniors aged 65 and older, who are at risk of complications from the flu, should get vaccinated now and seek medical attention promptly if they have symptoms.

This is KBS News, Park Min-kyung.