Korean Red Cross

Overall Situation

¡Û After 87 days from January 10^th, South Korea experiences daily cases surpassing 600, stocking concerns of a fourth wave. To curb the spread of COVID-19, the Government of the Republic of Korea (GoROK) decided to maintain social distancing level – level 2 in Seoul metropolitan area and level 1.5 in the non-metropolitan area until May 2^nd.

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Partnership and Resource Mobilization

¡Û In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the KNRC has been working closely with the relevant authorities The KNRC, an officially designated agency for disaster management and relief support, the KNRC has been a trusted partner working with the governments to coordinate and facilitate the support to the people in need.

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¡Û Thanks to contributions from private and public sector including foreign countries, the KNRC has raised funds of KRW 90.8 billion as of March 31^st 2021. As of March 31^st, the KNRC provided KRW 88.4 billion worth of relief goods and services, which amounts 97.3% of the total donation, for those in need – medical personnel, confirmed patients, quarantined people, vulnerable groups and immigrants and foreign volunteers.

Health

¡Û From the onset, the Korean Red Cross hospitals are playing crucial roles of screening & testing and treatment for the infected people. Six Red Cross hospitals nationwide – Seoul, Incheon, Sangju, Tongyeong, Geochang, Yeongju Hospitals – were categorized as triage centers for COVID-19 testing in accordance with the criteria given the Ministry of Health (MoH).

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¡Û Four Korean Red Cross hospitals in Seoul, Incheon, Sangju, Yeongju have been designated and operating as COVID-19 Treatment Hospitals in South Korea. The hospital took up the task of classifying the patients, redistributing them into separate rooms, or transferring patients to other hospitals and then setting additional equipment such as negative-pressure rooms to accommodate the patients.

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Vaccination

¡Û On February 26^th 2021, the GoROK began its immunization program for health care workers and patients aged below 65 at long-term care facilities, as well as front-line medical workers, among the first in line to receive their first shots.

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¡Û  In line with government vaccination policy, the KNRC was entrusted as a COVID-19 vaccine immunization organization and conducted the first round of vaccination for its medical personnel. 1,081 people out of 1,130 medical workers were vaccinated in March, which accounts for 95.7% of the KNRC¡¯s total medical personnel.

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¡Û After its vaccination for the medical personnel, the KNRC Seoul Hospital started its first round of vaccination for the general public in April 16^th. As a consigned medical organization for COVID-19 vaccination, the KNRC will review the expansion of the vaccination for the general public in line with the government policy.

Communication

¡Û  The KNRC is maintaining our webpage to provide detail information regarding the KNRC activities and dentitions.

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¡Û In response to the potential risk of the 4^th wave of COVID-19, the KNRC will continue our emergency relief operations and medical services as an auxiliary to the public authorities. The KNRC will reach further those most vulnerable and marginalized people and support the health authorities in vaccination campaigns. In compliance with the government's policy to prevent the spread of infection in local communities, the KNRC will continue our efforts to provide support so that no targets of the vulnerable population are left out.