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Today (22nd) announced that there were 130 severe cases of corona and 31 people who died, about twice as many as a week ago.

However, an analysis by a specialized agency has come out that it is not just because the number of confirmed cases has increased.

The domestic corona fatality rate, which had continued to fall, turned to an upward trend from last month, and in particular, the high-risk group over the age of 60 has more than doubled.



This is the exclusive report by Cho Dong-chan, a medical reporter. 



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Seoul National University Boramae Hospital Ward 55.



About 50 general patients are being treated, but from the 27th, they will be converted back to the Corona Severe Severe Ward.



[Kwon Min-ah / Seoul National University Boramae Hospital Ward 55 Head Nurse: I thought I would reopen this (negative pressure double door) and did not remove it.]



Medical staff are busy checking the response system.



[Kwon Min-ah/Seoul National University Boramae Hospital Ward 55 Head Nurse: Accessibility to patients can be increased because they put on (hazmat suit) right in the hallway space and enter the ward right away.]



Looking at the death rate among confirmed patients, that is, the fatality rate by month, this year 1 It continued to decline from 0.39% per month to 0.08% in May.



However, the highest number of deaths occurred in March.



The fatality rate was 0.1%, which was comparable to the flu, but because 10 million people were infected, 9,728 people lost their lives.



Even if the fatality rate is low, if the number of confirmed cases increases, the death toll will inevitably increase.



Both the number of patients and the fatality rate are on the rise, but the elderly are at an emergency.



The fatality rate for those in their 80s and older rose the most from 1.37% to 3.20%, and those in their 70s and 60s more than doubled.



The research team diagnosed that the main cause was the decline in the effectiveness of the third vaccination for those in their 60s and older, and that the fourth vaccination was urgent.



High-risk groups over the age of 60 usually receive free PCR tests, but as it takes more than two days to diagnose, the sooner the treatment is administered, the more effective the treatment is being delayed.



[Bang Bang-hwan/Professor of Infectious Diseases, Seoul National University Boramae Hospital: If the time is delayed, even if the treatment is given that much, the treatment effect will decrease and the probability of going to severe disease increases.

If the rapid antigen test is positive, it would be better to receive treatment immediately.]



An official from the quarantine authorities said that they would discuss ways to activate the rapid antigen test for high-risk groups.



(Video coverage: Kim Won-bae, video editing: Lee Jung-taek, CG: Zhugal-chan)



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