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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Policy missteps, population density cause worst Omicron wave in Korea: experts

A screen at Songpa District Office in Seoul shows the all-time high of 621,328 daily COVID-19 cases reported for Wednesday. YonhapDaily infections jump 55 percent to 621,328; COVID-related deaths at all-time high of 429By Lee Hyo-jin The country's numbers of daily new COVID-19 infections, critical cases and deaths are ballooning to unprecedented levels as Korea enters the peak of the Omicron wave. The number of daily new infections for Wednesday hit an all-time high at 621,328, a 55-percent jump from 400,741 the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The agency added 429 COVID-19-related deaths ― also an all-time high ― while 1,159 patients were in critical condition. The health ministry viewed that the spike in infections was attributable to aggressive testing using rapid antigen tests conducted by medical personnel at clinics, which have identified “hidden infections” that have not been detected using only PCR tests. Until this Monday, only PCR tests conducted at screening centers had been included in the official daily infect

Mar 17, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Policy missteps, population density cause worst Omicron wave in Korea: experts
  • Funeral facilities stretched thin as COVID-19 deaths rise

Funeral facilities stretched thin as COVID-19 deaths rise

gettyimagesbankFuneral facilities across Seoul have been crowded as deaths related to COVID-19 have risen sharply amid the recent wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron variant, industry sources said Thursday.Daily virus deaths in Korea, which had remained under 100 last month, rose to 128, March 2, and have since been on an upward trajectory, with the daily tally soaring to a new high of 429, Thursday.Unable to meet the sudden rise in deaths from the pandemic crisis, funeral homes, mortuaries and crematoriums are struggling to cope with new clients, many of whom have lost their loved ones to the pandemic. "Our mortuary, which can hold up to 18 sets of remains at a time, is currently full and cannot accept new remains," a worker at the Seoul National University Hospital told Yonhap News Agency, adding that families often have to wait for days for their deceased loved one to be cremated due to the resultant delays. Yonsei University Severance Hospital has also seen its mortuary fill up constantly since the surge in Omicron patients in the past two months, a hospital representative

Mar 17, 2022
Funeral facilities stretched thin as COVID-19 deaths rise
  • Once COVID-19 success stories, what went wrong in Hong Kong and Korea?
  • Policy missteps, population density cause worst Omicron wave in Korea: experts

Once COVID-19 success stories, what went wrong in Hong Kong and Korea?

Healthcare personnel work at makeshift COVID-19 isolation facilities in the San Tin area of Hong Kong, March 11. AP-YonhapLow vaccination rate among elderly attributed to surge in deaths in HK, while easing of distancing measures cited for Korea's soaring casesBy Kim Bo-eunHONG KONG ― Using different approaches, Hong Kong and South Korea managed to keep COVID cases mostly under control until late last year. In fact, they did such a good job that the two countries were referred to as success cases of curbing the virus without resorting to draconian measures such as lockdowns, which wreak havoc on the economy. But the number of infection cases has shot up in both places in recent months, along with the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.On Wednesday, South Korea's new daily cases hit an all-time high of 621,328 ― a 55-percent surge in just one day. Deaths came to a record 429 on the same day. Korea ranked first in the world in the number of daily new cases per 1 million as of Tuesday, according to figures from Our Word in Data.As of Tuesday, Hong Kong had by far the larges

Mar 17, 2022By Kim Bo-eun
Once COVID-19 success stories, what went wrong in Hong Kong and Korea?
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases spike to record high of over 600,000
  • Funeral facilities stretched thin as COVID-19 deaths rise

Korea's daily COVID-19 cases spike to record high of over 600,000

People wait in line for a COVID-19 test at a public health center in southern Seoul, March 17. Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases spiked to more than 600,000 for Wednesday. Yonhap Korea's daily COVID-19 infections spiked to more than 600,000 for Wednesday, setting yet another record high, fueled by the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant amid an easing of anti-coronavirus measures.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 621,328 new cases, including 62 from overseas, raising the overall total to 8,250,592. The latest tally marks a 55 percent surge in just one day. Korea has seen multiple spikes in its caseload since reporting the first five-digit figures in late January. Since then, the numbers have grown rapidly, easily surpassing 300,000, March 9. The death toll more than doubled, also to a record daily high of 429, putting the total at 11,481 with a fatality rate of 0.14 percent. The number of critically ill patients, seen a

Mar 17, 2022
Korea's daily COVID-19 cases spike to record high of over 600,000
  • Once COVID-19 success stories, what went wrong in Hong Kong and Korea?

Daily COVID-19 cases soar past 400,000

Staff at Seoul's Songpa District Office look at a screen showing a graph of the daily number of new COVID-19 infections across the country at their office, Wednesday. Korea's daily number of new COVID-19 cases reached another new high of 400,741, surpassing the 400,000 mark for the first time. Yonhap

Mar 16, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Daily COVID-19 cases soar past 400,000

PM calls for adjusting infectious disease level of COVID-19

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum / Yonhap Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum asked health officials Wednesday to consider adjusting the infectious disease level of COVID-19 to better cope with surging cases. The coronavirus is currently classified as "Class 1 infectious disease," the highest in the four-tier classification that includes diseases such as Ebola and the Middle East respiratory syndrome. The Class 1 infection diseases require high-level procedures, such as negative pressure isolation, and immediate reporting on the outbreak. But some doctors have pointed out it is difficult to meet response measures required for Class 1 infection diseases as daily COVID-19 cases are over 400,000, while most treatments are currently carried out by small clinics that do not have enough medical resources. "To better deal with COVID-19 under our response system, I ask the health authorities to start discussing adjusting the infection disease level of COVID-19 with the medical community

Mar 16, 2022
PM calls for adjusting infectious disease level of COVID-19
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit record high of 400,741

Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit record high of 400,741

A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal swab sample from a woman at a makeshift COVID-19 testing site in Seoul, March 15. Korea had its deadliest day yet of the pandemic Tuesday as the country grappled with a record surge in coronavirus infections driven by the rapidly moving Omicron variant. AP-Yonhap Korea's daily COVID-19 infections hit yet another somber milestone of more than 400,000 for Tuesday, driven by the dominant Omicron variant spreading at overwhelming speed.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 400,741 new cases, mostly locally transmitted, raising the total caseload to 7,629,275.This is an all-time high since the country recorded its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 20, 2020, and a big jump from Monday's 362,338. The previous record high was 383,659 reported last Friday. The death toll rose 164 to 11,052, for a fatality rate of 0.14 percent. The number of critically ill patients, seen as a key indicator in the pandemic response,

Mar 16, 2022
Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit record high of 400,741
  • PM calls for adjusting infectious disease level of COVID-19

COVID infections among students soar

A teacher explains anti-COVID-19 procedures to students at a high school in Seoul, when schools across the nation reopened for high school seniors despite lingering COVID-19 fears. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul A total of 52,684 students from kindergarten to high school level tested positive for COVID-19 in Seoul last week, more than doubling from the previous week, the Seoul education office said Tuesday.The tally from the week ending Sunday marks a steep hike from 25,122 cases a week earlier, and the rise was driven mainly by infections among elementary school students, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said. COVID-19 cases involving elementary school students totaled 667.9 out of every 10,000 students last week, followed by 552 cases out of every 10,000 high school freshman and sophomore students. A total of 530.3 infections per 10,000 students were reported among middle school students while the numbers for high school seniors and kindergarten chi

Mar 15, 2022
COVID infections among students soar
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stay above 300,000 for 4th day

Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stay above 300,000 for 4th day

People wait in line for a COVID-19 test at a public health center in southern Seoul, March 15. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 300,000 for four straight days Monday. YonhapKorea's new daily COVID-19 infections stayed above 300,000 for the fourth straight day Monday as the country battles through its worst virus wave yet, sparked by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 362,338 new cases, mostly locally transmitted ones, raising the total caseload to 7,228,550. The tally marks the second-highest daily count after the all-time high of 383,664 reported Friday. It's also a big jump from the previous day's 309,790. The daily counts tend to fall Sunday due to fewer tests on the weekend before rising sharply toward the end of the week. The death toll hit a record high of 293, up 93 from Monday, pushing the total to 10,888 for a fatality rate of 0.15 percent. The number of critically ill patients also reached an all-time high of 1,196, up 38 from the previous day. Korea has seen a spike in its COVID-19 caseload since t

Mar 15, 2022
Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stay above 300,000 for 4th day
  • 'Less lethal' Omicron leads to record-high deaths, critical cases
  • COVID infections among students soar

'Less lethal' Omicron leads to record-high deaths, critical cases

People wait in lines to receive a COVID-19 test at a screening center near Seoul Station, Monday. YonhapCritical cases hit all-time high of 1,158By Lee Hyo-jin Korea is grappling with record-high deaths and critical cases due to the sheer volume of new infections fueled by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, although the variant has been found to be less lethal than previous variants of the coronavirus. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country reported 309,790 new infections for Sunday, raising the aggregated total to 6,866,222. The number of patients in severe condition in total came to 1,158, breaking the previous record of 1,151 set in the midst of the Delta wave on Dec. 29, 2021.The KDCA added 200 COVID-19-related fatalities for Sunday, down from Saturday's 251. Daily new deaths hit a record high on Friday at 269. Health ministry data showed that 60 percent of hospital beds reserved for severely ill COVID-19 patients were occupied as of last week, up by 10 percent points from the previous week. Although the Omicron variant is known to be th

Mar 14, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
'Less lethal' Omicron leads to record-high deaths, critical cases
  • Korea, Germany, Vietnam account for 41% of weekly COVID-19 cases worldwide
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stay above 300,000 for 4th day
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