Sudden increase in pneumonia deaths, flu at its highest level in 8 years... Difficult to make cremation reservations

They say the flu is at its highest level in eight years.

It is said that the number of deceased people diagnosed with pneumonia caused by influenza complications has rapidly increased.ㅠㅠ

There has been a rapid increase in deaths related to pneumonia, leading to a surge in cases where people wait at funeral homes to hold funerals or are unable to make reservations at crematories, resulting in an unavoidable rise in traditional funeral rites.

I'm worried about the upcoming holiday.

During the Lunar New Year holiday, families gather together from children to seniors over 65, increasing the risk of transmission and severe illness.

Make sure to get vaccinated if you haven't already, practice proper handwashing habits, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, ventilate indoor spaces frequently, and if you have a fever or respiratory symptoms, visit a medical institution for appropriate treatment.

 

 

As deaths related to pneumonia surge rapidly, Yonhap News reported that people are either waiting at funeral homes to hold funerals or are unable to make reservations at crematories, leading to unavoidable traditional funeral ceremonies.

The funeral industry reports a sharp increase in deceased individuals diagnosed with pneumonia as the cause of death since the end of December last year, attributing this trend to the flu that began spreading around that time.

Mokryeon Park, the only cremation facility in Cheongju with the capacity to handle 22 cremations per day, is fully booked for cremation reservations until the 14th, and there are 16 cremation reservations scheduled for the 15th.

The Magnolia Park official stated on the 13th, "Reservations suddenly started filling up from the end of December last year and continued for three days," adding, "Until early to mid-January of the same month, such cases were almost nonexistent."

Due to the sudden increase in funeral demand, funeral halls are being set up late, and many bereaved families are extending their funerals by one day due to reservation issues at crematoriums.

On the 11th, at Cheongju Medical Center Funeral Hall, nine funeral rooms were fully occupied, and the bereaved families placed the deceased (three people) in the mortuary, then set up the funeral home the next day to receive visitors.

This funeral home said, "Because we can't make reservations for cremation, we conduct up to three funeral services in a day, and after a three-day funeral, the body is kept and cremated the next day," and added, "If there are no available spots at Myeongryun Park, people are willing to pay extra to use the Eunhasu Park crematorium in nearby Sejong City, but they also say there are no available spots there right now."

Since December 30th of last year, six funeral rooms at Hana Hospital Funeral Home have been operating without a single day off. Some bereaved families waited for a day before proceeding with funeral procedures.

The official at the Chungbuk National University Hospital Funeral Hall said, "Although it is a season with many respiratory disease patients, it seems that the number of deceased individuals whose cause of death is pneumonia has increased sharply compared to other years," and added, "I have been doing this work for ten years, but except during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time I have seen so many funeral services held."

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, during the last week of 2024 (December 22-28), the influenza-like illness (ILI) rate among 1,000 outpatient visitors at 300 sentinel medical institutions nationwide was 73.9.

Compared to the peak of the outbreak, it is at the highest level in 8 years since 86.2 cases in 2016.

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