South Korea - The Korea Times

4th dose of current vaccine unlikely to prevent BA.5 wave: experts

People stand in line to receive a COVID-19 test at a screening center in Songpa District, Seoul, Monday. YonhapGov't urged to ramp up testing capacityBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is considering whether to lower the age limit of a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot, which is currently only offered to people aged 60 or more, as Korea grapples with a resurgence of infections led by the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron. After health authorities offered second booster shots to the elderly and other vulnerable groups in mid-April, the inoculation rate stands at 31 percent as of Monday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).On July 8, 73-year-old Prime Minister Han Deok-soo received his fourth shot, encouraging people to follow suit. He noted that the government will soon announce a lowered age limit for the second COVID-19 booster shot, seeking to respond more effectively to the resurgence of infections. Prime Minister Han Deok-soo receives his fourth shot of a COVID-19 vaccine at a public health center in Jongno District, Seoul, July 8. YonhapSome medical experts, howev

Jul 11, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

4th dose of current vaccine unlikely to prevent BA.5 wave: experts

New COVID-19 cases above 20,000 for 2nd day

People wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Seoul's Yongsan District, July 9. YonhapSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 20,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday amid growing concerns about a resurgence in infections nationwide.The country added 20,410 new COVID-19 infections, including 250 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,511,845, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The KDCA reported 19 more deaths from the virus, putting the death toll at 24,643. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent. The number of critically ill patients came to 67, up from the previous day's 61.South Korea has seen a marked drop in infection numbers from the peak of more than 620,000 in mid-March, with the daily counts staying mostly in four digits in June. But the numbers began to rise again, hitting over 10,000 on June 29 and over 20,000 on Saturday. Health authorities confirmed that the country has entered a new wave of COVID-19, citing the fast spread of the highly contagious mutation of the omicron strains. The government is

Jul 10, 2022

New COVID-19 cases above 20,000 for 2nd day

Korea's new COVID-19 cases back above 20,000 for 1st time in 1 1/2 months

People stand in line to take coronavirus tests at a screening clinic in Seoul's Songpa Ward, July 7. YonhapKorea's new coronavirus cases bounced back above 20,000 for the first time in 45 days Saturday, putting authorities on alert over a possible uptick amid the summer vacation season.The country added 20,286 new COVID-19 infections, including 223 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,491,435, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Saturday's tally is up 963 from the previous day and nearly double the 10,712 reported a week ago. It also marks the first time the daily tally has surpassed 20,000 since May 25.The country added 19 COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 24,624. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.The number of critically ill patients fell by one to 61, the KDCA said.The country's case curve hit a peak in mid-March with more than 621,000 cases. The KDCA has said the pace of decline has recently slowed down amid waning immunity and eased social distancing rules.On Friday, Korean health authorities said the country is undergoing a new

Jul 9, 2022

Korea's new COVID-19 cases back above 20,000 for 1st time in 1 1/2 months

Is Korea entering new wave of COVID-19?

Medical workers cool down near an air conditioner installed at a COVID-19 screening center in Songpa District, Seoul, Thursday. YonhapHealth ministry tightens monitoring of BA.4, BA.5 subvariantsBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea appears to be at the start of another COVID-19 wave, with the number of daily new infections nearly doubling in a week amid the growing presence of Omicron subvariant BA.5, according to medical experts, Friday. The experts, however, gave different views on how big the wave will be. Some said it would be smaller and less fatal than previous ones, while others warned that daily cases may surge to the 100,000 daily infections range.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 19,323 new infections for Thursday, raising the aggregated total to 18,471,172. After rebounding to an upward trend since the end of June, the daily numbers of new infections this week have nearly doubled from the previous week.Chon Eun-mi, a respiratory disease specialist at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, viewed that an uptick in travel and gatherings in the summer vacation

Jul 8, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Food production lines to get smarter, safer with advanced technology

The interior of Daesang Life Science's manufacturing plant in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province Courtesy of Daesang Life Science Gov't plans to expand implementation of smart HACCPBy Lee Hyo-jin CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province ― Like any other food or beverage product, the manufacturing process of My Meal, a protein drink produced by local wellness company Daesang Life Science, consists of a series of rigorous steps. Raw ingredients are weighed, mixed and then filtered. After going through the process of homogenization and sterilization, the beverage is then poured into bottles. The bottles are carried down the conveyor belt to be scanned for defects. If no issues are detected, the products are packaged into boxes, ready to be distributed across the country.Located in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, the manufacturing plant of Daesang Life Science produces 24,000 tons of nutrition supplement products and protein drinks per year.During a media tour organi

Jul 7, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Food production lines to get smarter, safer with advanced technology

Korea's new COVID-19 cases up for 2nd day amid resurgence concerns

People wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Gwangju, July 5. YonhapKorea's new coronavirus cases increased for the second straight day on Wednesday, as the virus spread at a faster pace amid eased social distancing restrictions.The country added 19,371 new COVID-19 infections, including 224 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,433,359, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Wednesday's tally is up from 6,253 on Monday and 18,147 on Tuesday, and nearly doubled from 10,455 a week ago. The KDCA has said the pace of the virus' reproduction has recently increased amid waning immunity and eased social distancing rules. The country added seven COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 24,583. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.The number of critically ill patients increased by seven to 61, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)

Jul 6, 2022

Korea's new COVID-19 cases up for 2nd day amid resurgence concerns

Korean icebreaker begins 13th Arctic mission

The Araon, Korea's ice breaking vessel / YonhapKorea's sole icebreaker kicked off its 13th Arctic mission Monday to conduct research on clues about climate change in the North Pole, a local polar research institute said. The Araon left the western port of Incheon for a 92-day mission to study the causes of abnormal weather conditions there and the impact of global warming on its ecosystem, the Korea Polar Research Institute said. It is the Araon's first Arctic mission in three years, which had been delayed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.Scientists will conduct research in open waters around the Arctic Ocean, including the Bering Sea, the Eastern Siberian Sea and the Beaufort Sea, to examine the effect of global warming on the marine ecosystem and the undersea environment.A maritime survey will also be carried out to obtain information on marine living resources in the Arctic Sea with state-of-the-art observation equipment.The institute said data collected from those observation devices will be sent in real-time to its headquarters in Incheon for analysis.The Araon is slated

Jul 4, 2022

Korean icebreaker begins 13th Arctic mission

Concerns grow over COVID-19 resurgence

A medical worker takes a sample from a person for a COVID-19 test at a public health center in Seoul's Yongsan District, Sunday. NewsisBy Lee Hae-rinThe daily number of new COVID-19 infections in Korea has surpassed 10,000 again for the second straight day over the weekend, drawing concerns over a resurgence of the virus after months of declining numbers of new cases. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the country saw 10,059 new daily cases on Sunday, including 191 from overseas, adding up to 18,389,611 total infections to date. Sunday's figure is 656 less than Saturday's 10,715, but far more than those of the two previous Sundays, which stood at around 6,000.Followed by the eased quarantine measures on inbound travelers and the rise in international flights, the daily number of imported cases has reached over 100 for 11 days since it first hit 113 on June 24.Since the country saw an all-time high of over 620,000 daily cases in March, the spread of the virus has shown a downward trend, remaining under 10,000 since June 9. The number then reached

Jul 3, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Korea to expand 'one-stop' COVID-19 treatment centers: PM

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, left, speaks during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul, July 1. YonhapThe government will expand the number of "one-stop" COVID-19 treatment centers, where people can take a virus test, get in-person medical care services and receive antiviral drugs, to 10,000 from the current 6,206, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday."Even if the number of COVID-19 patients increases, we will make sure they can get stable treatment under our general medical system," Han said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul. Han also called for efficient management of medical resources, including hospital beds, to prepare for a possible virus resurgence in the summer vacation season. "The number of COVID-19 cases, which showed a downward trend for the past 14 weeks, started to increase this week," Han said. "Under a scenario that infection risks can go up in the summer vacation season, we will swiftly and thoroughly organize our virus response system." South Korea reported 9,528 new COVID-19 infections Friday, which was up 2,334 from two weeks ago and 2,307 cases from a

Jul 1, 2022

Korea to expand 'one-stop' COVID-19 treatment centers: PM

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases slip back below 10,000

People wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at a testing center near Seoul Station on a rainy June 30. YonhapNew COVID-19 cases fell back below 10,000 for Wednesday amid the slowdown of the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 9,595 infections, including 142 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,359,341.Daily cases remained below 10,000 from June 10 until Monday but rose above 10,000 Tuesday before falling again.While the virus curve is generally trending downward, Wednesday's figure is up by 2,102 from a week ago and 1,607 from two weeks ago, in a possible sign that the spread of the coronavirus is picking up speed again. The pandemic peaked in mid-March with more than 621,000 daily cases and has since been in retreat. But the KDCA has said the pace of decline has recently slowed down amid waning immunity and eased social distancing rules.The KDCA reported 10 deaths from COVID-19, raising the toll to 24,547 for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent. The number of critically ill patients came to 54, d

Jun 30, 2022

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