Hospital beds will no longer be reserved exclusively for COVID-19 patients within a year after the disease's status is lowered to the same level as seasonal flu, it has been learned.
On May 8, COVID-19 will be reclassified from its current "equivalent to Category II" to "Category V" under the Infectious Diseases Control Law. According to the government's plan, the medical care system will be gradually normalized during the transition period for the new ranking.
Hospital beds specifically for COVID-19 patients will continue to exist for a while after the downgrade but will be abolished within a year.
