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Disease control authorities set up a temporary screening center in front of the Bundang District Office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 25. (provided by Seongnam City Hall)

Gyeonggi Province is reaching saturation levels as its hospital beds fill amid a sharp increase in COVID-19 diagnoses, with an average of 250 people per day placed on standby for a hospital bed as the province’s daily caseload exceeded 200 for the first time. The province is currently going all out to acquire additional hospital space in anticipation of a bed shortage.

“At present, Gyeonggi Province has acquired 1,056 beds at community treatment centers, 630 at infectious disease hospitals, and 49 for patients in critical condition, for a total of 1,735 beds,” explained Kim Jae-hoon, director of the Gyeonggi Province health bureau, in a regular briefing on Dec. 9.

“The occupancy rates for infectious disease hospitals and critical patient sickbeds are reaching saturation levels at 89.2% and 91.8%, respectively,” he added. In the case of beds for patients in critical conditions, 45 out of 49 are currently being used, leaving just four to spare.

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun (right) and Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung head to a meeting for COVID-19 countermeasures at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on Dec. 9. (provided by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office)

The filling of hospital beds comes amid a sharp rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province, where the number of daily diagnosed cases passed 200 for the first time.

As of Dec. 9, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Gyeonggi Province stood at 8,691, up by 219 from the previous day. Patients were diagnosed in 26 separate cities and counties throughout the province.

Senior citizens aged 60 and above accounted for 80 of the new cases, or 36.5%. Sixty-two patients (28.3%) had no identified transmission route. Not only did the average daily caseload last week rise to 167 — an increase of 48 from the previous week — but 4.5% of people tested from Dec. 2 to 8 turned out positive, or 1,174 out of the 25,711 people. Yet despite this trend of increase in the percentage of positive tests, hospital space and community treatment center availability has been unable to keep up.

A daily average of 250 cases who exhibit mild to no symptoms are left waiting at home due to lack of space in treatment centers.

“Gyeonggi Province will do everything it can to acquire hospital beds to prepare for the shortage resulting from these saturation conditions,” Kim said.

On Dec. 10, Gyeonggi Province plans to open an additional community treatment center with room for 332 patients at the LG Inhwawon training center in Icheon. This center will allow the province to accommodate a total of 1,388 patients with mild to no symptoms. In December, the province plans to acquire an additional 179 infectious disease hospital sickbeds, including 51 first-stage and 128 second-stage, for a total of 875.

By Hong Yong-duk, South Gyeonggi correspondent

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