South Korea reported more than 300 infections of the new coronavirus on Saturday (Aug 29), the 16th day of three-digit rises, fanning concerns about a worsening shortage of sickbeds amid a resurgence of COVID-19.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) posted 308 new cases as of midnight Friday, bringing the total infections to 19,400, including 321 deaths from COVID-19.
With the surge in the disease, hospitals in greater Seoul had only 4.5 per cent of their beds available for critical cases as of Friday, down from 22 per cent a week earlier. Some 24 per cent of beds for all COVID-19 patients were left, compared with 37 per cent last week.
"Only about 15 beds are immediately available in the greater Seoul area for patients in critical condition as there were numerous patients who were in a serious condition and needed to be hospitalised," said Yoon ***-ho, director general for public health policy at the health ministry.
"But we should have a little more room shortly because more people are being released," he told a news briefing.