The number of severe COVID-19 cases in South Korea has reached a new high

Beijing, December 12 (Xinhua) -- The Central Epidemic Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters of south Korea said on the 12th that the number of severe cases of new crown in South Korea is close to 900, a new high since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic.

People wait in line at the COVID-19 testing site in Seoul Plaza, South Korea, on Dec. 11, waiting for nucleic acid samples. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Wang Yiliang)

According to the data of the Central Epidemic Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 00:00 on the 12th, there were 6,689 new confirmed cases of new coronavirus in South Korea in a single day, a decrease of 288 cases from the previous day; the number of confirmed cases of the Omiljung variant increased by 15 to 90 cases; and the existing severe cases of 894 cases increased by 38 cases from the previous day, breaking the record of 857 cases set on the 9th of this month.

According to Yonhap News Agency, there were more than 400 severe cases in South Korea earlier this month, the first since the end of August. That number crossed the 800-case mark in the following days. In the face of the surge in severe cases, the South Korean government has reserved fewer and fewer intensive care beds, and medical staff and equipment have begun to be stretched. As of 17:00 on the 11th, the bed occupancy rate of the new crown intensive care unit in the capital Seoul reached 90.6%, the number nationwide was 80.9%; more than 1,700 new crown patients were waiting for admission to the hospital.

The South Korean government began to significantly relax epidemic prevention restrictions last month, and the epidemic rebounded, forcing the government to adjust its strategy and tighten its epidemic prevention policy again on the 6th of this month. However, the recent single-day new confirmed cases in South Korea are still at a high of around 7,000 cases, and the number of new deaths in a single day on the 11th hit a new high since the outbreak of the epidemic.

Yonhap News Agency believes that the cold weather in winter is conducive to the survival and spread of the virus, coupled with the increased uncertainty of the Olmikron strain, the epidemic situation in South Korea may further deteriorate, and the medical capacity is worrying. (Wang Xinfang)