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A medical worker at Seoul Medical Center puts on a protective suit before tending to COVID-19 patients. (Yonhap News)

As the number of deaths from the coronavirus in South Korea exceeds 200, the case fatality rate (the percentage of confirmed cases ending in death) is approaching 2%. Deaths are also occurring at a faster rate. Even though the number of new cases in the country has fallen, it would be rash to assume this crisis will wind down anytime soon. The government and experts reiterated the importance of social distancing and urged the public to remain alert.

On Apr. 8, South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that, as of early that morning, 200 people had died of COVID-19 in the country. While 30 days passed between the first death, on Feb. 20, and the 100th, on Mar. 21, it took only 18 days to reach the 200th death. In short, deaths are occurring at a progressively faster rate. As of Apr. 8, South Korea’s case fatality rate stood at 1.93%.

Most of the deaths have occurred among those who are advanced in age or who had underlying medical conditions. “There has only been one fatality reported thus far in which no underlying conditions could be confirmed,” KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Jun-wook said during the daily press briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

South Korea’s tally of COVID-19 cases rose by 53 on Apr. 8, with the trend moderating to about 50 new cases for three days in a row. The number of new cases dropped to as low as 39 on Apr. 9. Disease control authorities credit this improvement to social distancing.

But the number of fatalities is likely to increase rapidly for some time. As of Wednesday, there were over 80 serious cases of COVID-19, with 34 patients rated as severe and 46 as critical.

“There are a large number of patients whose symptoms are severe or critical. We can’t rule out the possibility of the fatality rate topping 2% or even reaching 3%,” said Eom Joong-sik, a professor of infectious diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center.

Another source of pressure on the disease control authorities is the presence of patients who must stay in the hospital for a long period of time for treatment. “An analysis of the persistence of the disease after diagnosis found that more than 50% of patients remained in the hospital for more than 30 days,” said a Daegu city official on Wednesday. The KCDC said that four patients — including Number 31, the first person to be diagnosed in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province — were still hospitalized more than 50 days later.

Some are attributing the rising fatality rate to regional disparities and to the shortage of medical personnel and hospital beds, issues that have already been brought up. “While it would be difficult to say that South Korea’s case fatality rate is higher than in other countries, we recognize that many people are worried about a lack of hospital beds, care for serious patients, and support for doctors on the front lines,” said Kwon, the deputy director of the KCDC.

“We’re doing our best to lower the case fatality rate. When individuals in self-quarantine are living with family members who work at hospitals and other facilities with a large number of high-risk individuals, for example, we’re taking those workers off duty,” Kwon added.

The disease control authorities have announced that they’re striving to find an appropriate method for treating the disease and exploring options such as administering hydroxychloroquine, a drug for malaria, and providing plasma therapy.

In order to prevent fatalities, experts say, it will be necessary to maintain an intense regimen of social distancing. “The only way to reduce the number of new cases and deaths is to ensure that high-risk groups aren’t exposed to COVID-19. To do that, young, healthy individuals need to avoid getting infected. Social distancing is extremely important,” said Eom, the Gachon University professor.

By Choi Ha-yan, staff reporter

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