CRITICAL PATIENTS REACH ALL TIME HIGH

[Anchor Lead]

Critically ill COVID-19 patients in Korea have reached an all time high of 964, topping 900 for two days in a row. Currently more than 86 percent of ICU beds in the greater Seoul area are occupied. Although the government is securing more beds, patients still have to wait to be hospitalized because of the shortage of medical workers.

[Pkg]

These nurses are gathered in front of Cheong Wa Dae to protest the shortage of health workers treating COVID-19 patients.

[Soundbite] Kim Hye-jung(Nurse, Seoul National University Hospital) : "Instead of allocating additional nurses to critically ill COVID-19 patients, they just bring nurses from regular ICUs."

The nurses say the more hospital beds are allocated to coronavirus patients, the fewer beds there are to accommodate other patients.

[Soundbite] Park Kyung-deuk(Korean Health Workers Union) : "Patients who need to be treated in ICUs have no choice but to stay in regular wards. ERs end up sending away patients who need emergency hospitalization."

The government agrees that if the number of critically ill patients surpasses one thousand, the health care system could become stretched to the limit.

[Soundbite] Park Hyang(Central Disasters Management HQs) : "If the number of ICU patients rises further, other patients will also be affected."

Medical workers say there are nearly zero hospital beds to accommodate ICU patients right away. This is because time is needed to discharge existing patients and find workers to take care of new ones.

[Soundbite] Prof. Eom Joong-sik(Gachon University Gil Medical Center) : "More patients will likely die even before being admitted to ICUs. That will likely result in more than 100 COVID-19 related deaths daily."

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum met with hospital directors from the greater Seoul area and asked them to make sure that critical patients are moved out of covid treatment beds once treatment is over. He also promised the hospitals compensation for any losses that may occur.