Severe COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Therapeutics, and Prognostic Models From Nationwide Data - PubMed
5 hours ago
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- Severe COVID-19 in South Korea was studied using nationwide data from January 2020 to August 2023.
- Korea reported over 34 million confirmed cases, with 38,112 severe cases and 35,608 deaths, achieving one of the lowest case fatality rates in OECD countries.
- Risk factors for severe COVID-19 included advanced age, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, psychiatric disorders, and immunocompromised states.
- Protective factors included vaccination, physical activity, and certain pharmacologic agents.
- Vaccines, especially booster doses, significantly reduced hospitalization and mortality, even in high-risk groups.
- Antiviral therapies like nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir, and immunomodulators such as dexamethasone and tocilizumab, improved outcomes.
- Advanced treatments like ECMO and lung transplantation were used for severe respiratory failure with favorable results in selected patients.
- Prognostic models using clinical, radiological, and machine learning approaches were developed for early risk stratification.
- The study highlights the importance of sustained research infrastructure for future pandemic preparedness.