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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.

Soaring use of self-test kit sparks concerns over underreporting of COVID-19 cases

Medical workers carry out rapid antigen tests at a COVID-19 testing station in Seoul, Friday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are growing over whether rapid antigen tests will deal with the Omicron-fueled COVID-19 pandemic effectively, as they are feared to yield false-negative or false-positive results. Since Thursday, the country has allowed only hospitals and medical clinics to conduct rapid antigen testing. Under the new system, only those who only test positive in a rapid test are able to receive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Prioritized for PCR tests are the elderly aged over 60, people who have come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient and those with a doctor's recommendation citing the need for the laboratory-processed test. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Friday, a total of 84,000 rapid antigen tests were conducted using at-home test kits at testing centers in four local jurisdictions ― South Jeolla Province, Gwangju and the Gyeonggi Province cities of Pyeongtaek and Anseong.Of them, in 687 rapid tests that came out posit

Feb 4, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Soaring use of self-test kit sparks concerns over underreporting of COVID-19 cases
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases keep reaching new highs

Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit fresh high of 27,443 as Omicron surges

People wait for COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Feb. 3. Korea's daily virus cases hit another all-time high Thursday with infections exceeding 27,000 for the first time amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus after the Lunar New Year holiday. AP-Yonhap Daily COVID-19 infections hit yet another all-time high Thursday with cases exceeding 27,000 amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus after the Lunar New Year holiday.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 27,443 new infections, including 27,283 local ones, raising the overall total to 934,656.The previous daily record was 22,907 reported for Wednesday.The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,836, up 24 from Thursday for a fatality rate of 0.73 percent; while the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 257, down 17.The KDCA had warned that the five-day Lunar New Year holiday, which ended Wednesday, could send virus cases

Feb 4, 2022
Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit fresh high of 27,443 as Omicron surges
  • 'Where to go for COVID-19 testing?': Korea's new testing scheme explained

Current distancing rules to be extended for 2 more weeks: PM

People wait for COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Feb. 3. The government has extended current social distancing rules for two more weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the country struggles to contain the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. AP-Yonhap The government will extend its current social distancing rules for two more weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the country struggles to contain the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus."Slowing the pace of Omicron's spread, which is heading to new peaks day after day, is a priority in this difficult circumstance where we cannot accurately estimate the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday period," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting. The government has been enforcing enhanced social distancing rules since Jan. 17 that allows private gatherings of up to six people with a 9 p.m. curfew imposed on restaurants' and cafes' business hours. The restrictions were or

Feb 4, 2022
Current distancing rules to be extended for 2 more weeks: PM

'Where to go for COVID-19 testing?': Korea's new testing scheme explained

A woman receives a COVID-19 rapid antigen test at a screening site in Gangseo District, Seoul, Thursday. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jin Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea has been offering free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to all people who need them at screening centers across the country. But those days are now over. In a bid to tackle the highly contagious but generally less lethal Omicron variant, the government has shifted its focus to vulnerable groups, introducing a new testing scheme concentrating on early diagnosis among these priority groups.Under the new scheme, starting Thursday, PCR tests are on limited offer to those priority groups. For the rest, rapid antigen tests, also known as self-testing kits, will be more widely used. Below are some questions and answers about how, where and which type of COVID-19 test to receive based on information provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Q. Who is eligible for a PCR test? PCR tests are limited to elderly people aged 60 and over, people who have come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient, and those w

Feb 3, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
'Where to go for COVID-19 testing?': Korea's new testing scheme explained
  • Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit fresh high of 27,443 as Omicron surges

Seoul's daily COVID-19 infections exceed 5,000 for 1st time

A medical worker passes by people as they wait for COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Feb. 3. AP-Yonhap New daily COVID-19 infections in Seoul have surpassed 5,000 for the first time, setting an all-time high for the second consecutive day, officials said Thursday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government reported 5,218 new cases for Wednesday, up 1,009 from the previous high of 4,209 tallied the previous day. The latest tally was 1,789 higher than the 3,429 recorded a week ago.Of the total, only 27 were cases of travelers from abroad.The proportion of the Omicron variant among new weekly infections rose to 60.5 percent last week from 25.6 percent the previous week, according to the city government. During the Lunar New Year holiday that ran from Saturday through Wednesday, the number of daily COVID-19 tests almost halved from Friday's total of 150,000, but daily infections continued to increase except Monday.The capital will likely see a further jump in d

Feb 3, 2022
Seoul's daily COVID-19 infections exceed 5,000 for 1st time

3 in 10 Seoul women support unmarried pregnancies: report

gettyimagesbank Almost three out of 10 women in Seoul believe they can have babies outside marriage, a city government report showed Thursday. According to the report, 28.1 percent of women and 31.6 percent of men living in the capital said they can have children even if they are not married.About six in 10 women and men said they can live together with their partners before marriage. The report was based on various surveys conducted on Seoul residents between 2018 and 2021. There were about 9.79 million residents in Seoul with females accounting for 51.4 percent and males 48.6 percent as of the second quarter last year. The report also showed that the proportion of children aged under 15 sharply dropped to 10.1 percent in 2020 from 15.7 percent in 2005 among females, and 11.2 percent from 17.5 percent among males over the same period. On the contrary, the proportion of those aged 65 or older increased from 8.4 percent to 16.7 percent among women, and 6.2 percent to

Feb 3, 2022
3 in 10 Seoul women support unmarried pregnancies: report

Omicron drives daily virus caseload to over 20,000 for 2nd day

People get polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests at Songpa-gu Community Health Center in Seoul, Thursday. Korea broke its single-day COVID-19 case record again Wednesday with infections topping 20,000 for the second day in a row, as holiday gatherings and travel fueled the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. YonhapKorea broke its single-day COVID-19 infection rate record again Wednesday with cases topping 20,000 for the second day in a row, as holiday gatherings and travel fueled the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 22,907 new infections, including 22,773 local ones, raising the total to 907,214.The previous daily record was 20,270 reported for Tuesday.The death toll from the disease came to 6,812, up 25 from a day earlier for a fatality rate of 0.75 percent.Critical cases of COVID-19 were 274, down four from the previous day.The health authorities have warned that the five-day Lunar New Year holiday, which ended Wednesday, could send virus cases to new heights in the weeks to come.As Korea average

Feb 3, 2022
Omicron drives daily virus caseload to over 20,000 for 2nd day

Concerns rise over post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases

A medical worker guides people standing in line for COVID-19 tests at a testing station in Songpa District of Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapDaily infections surpass 20,000 for 1st time amid Omicron spreadBy Lee Hyo-jin Concerns are rising over a potential upsurge of COVID-19 infections following the Lunar New Year holiday, with the current Omicron-led wave of infections showing no signs of abating here.The long weekend which ran from Jan. 31 through Wednesday, during which millions of people traveled across the country to visit their families, is feared to have fueled the spread of the coronavirus. Daily new infections for Tuesday reached yet another record high of 20,270, breaking the 20,000-mark for the first time since the pandemic broke out, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The positivity rate, which means the percentage of people who tested positive out of all the people tested in a given period, stood at 8.9 percent, a slight decline from an all-time high of 9.3 percent the previous day. Driven up by the highly contagious Omicron variant, infection

Feb 2, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Concerns rise over post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases
  • New COVID cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging spread of Omicron

New COVID cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging spread of Omicron

A medical worker runs to guide people as they wait for their COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Feb. 2. Korea's daily virus cases exceeded 20,000, Wednesday, for the first time since the country reported its first infection two years ago, due to the fast spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. YonhapDaily COVID-19 cases exceeded 20,000, Tuesday, for the first time since the country reported its first infection two years ago, due to the fast spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.The death toll came to 6,787, up 15 from Monday, for a fatality rate of 0.77 percent; while the number of critically ill patients was 278, up six.A revised virus response system went into effect Saturday to tackle the surging Omicron variant, which has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the country.Eighty percent of the country's confirmed cases during the last week were from Omicron. The health authorities have been on high alert over a sharp rise in cases due to increased gatherings of family members during the Lunar New Year holiday that ran until Wednesday. The Ko

Feb 2, 2022
New COVID cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging spread of Omicron
  • Concerns rise over post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases

Over 3 in 10 out-of-school children at risk of suicide: survey

gettyimagesbank More than three in 10 children out of school have been suffering depression, being at risk of possibly taking their own life, a survey showed Wednesday. A National Youth Policy Institute (NYPI) survey found that 35 percent of out-of-school children were experiencing depress, while 29 percent felt anxiety, and 36.8 percent of the total were exposed to suicidal risks.The survey was conducted from July to August on 5,937 students between fourth graders in elementary schools and high school seniors, as well as 752 children who had dropped out of school. Among those enrolled in schools, 17.4 percent and 13 percent showed symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively, and 16.4 percent were at a high risk of potentially taking their own lives. According to the NYPI, girls complained of more severe mental distress than boys regardless of whether they were in schools or not. Older children were also found to be more vulnerable to depression than younger ch

Feb 2, 2022
Over 3 in 10 out-of-school children at risk of suicide: survey
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