S. KOREA ADDS 99,573 NEW CASES

[Anchor Lead]

With Omicron continuing to spread fast, the nation added 99,573 new cases today. And the number of patients staying at home and exercising self-care has also surged to top 490,000. But a series of deaths was reported among such low-risk patients, highlighting the need to supplement the system managing them.

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While self-treating at home for COVID-19, a patient in her 20s was advised to get hospitalized when the headache worsened. However, the hospitalization process was delayed and the patient had to wait in an anxious state.

[Soundbite] Lee(Patient in Seoul)(VOICE MODIFIED) : "I was terrified. It was really hard to identify and check on my condition by myself. I was left wondering if my symptoms were common."

Another patient surnamed Kim also experienced worsening symptoms while monitoring her own health at home. The patient called a community healthcare center and tried to receive consultations with a doctor over the phone. But she could not get through to any hospitals and was left waiting, relying only on medications in hand.

[Soundbite] Kim(Patient in Seongnam) : "The community healthcare center told me that I had to talk to a doctor over the phone. There was also another problem. If you receive non-contact consultations, a friend or roommate has to pick of the medicine. But I live alone."

According to guidelines, stay-at-home , low-risk patients aged under 50 can receive non-contact consultations and be prescribed to necessary medications over the phone. If their symptoms continue to worsen, they can visit a hospital. In particular, when they experience sudden aggravation with their symptoms, they have to be hospitalized immediately. But such rapid and timely response is not easily met in reality. Last Saturday, a patient in his 50s who was exercising self-care and monitoring his own symptoms at home was found dead before receiving a phone call from a community healthcare center. This case has led to calls for supplementing the management system for patients staying at home alone. However, medical workers are also suffering from unbearably heavy workload, as the number of stay-at-home patients has topped 490,000.

[Soundbite] (Nurse) : "We get too many phone calls. The business team is insanely busy receiving patients and sending fax. Nurses have hectic days dealing with phone calls and complaints."

The Seoul city government sent out emergency text messages to all Covid-19 patients on that day. Health authorities promised to come up with ways to take better care of stay-at-home patients by implementing a faster response system in case of emergencies.