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New COVID-19 infections hit record high

A medical worker guides people as they wait for their COVID-19 test at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Jan. 28. AP-Yonhap South Korea's daily COVID-19 infections exceeded 18,000 for the first time Monday, since the first local case emerged two years ago, due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus during the Lunar New Year holiday.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 18,343 new cases, including 18,123 local ones, raising the total to 864,042.Daily infections jumped after reporting more than 17,000 cases for the past three days through Monday. The death toll reached 6,772, up 17 from Sunday for a fatality rate of 0.78 percent. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 272, down five from the previous day.A revised virus response system went into effect Saturday to tackle the wave of the Omicron variant, which has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the country.Eighty percent of the country's confirmed cases du

Feb 1, 2022
New COVID-19 infections hit record high

Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit over 17,000 for 3rd day amid holiday

Passengers wearing face masks as a precaution against CPVID-19 line up to board planes ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday which falls Feb. 1, at the domestic flight terminal of Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, Jan. 29. AP-Yonhap New daily COVID-19 infections hit more than 17,000 for the third consecutive day Sunday due to the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus amid the annual exodus for the Lunar New Year holiday.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 17,085 new cases, including 16,850 local ones, raising the total to 845,709.Sunday's caseload inched down from Saturday's 17,532 cases, ending a six-day daily record-breaking streak that began last Monday.The KDCA also recorded 23 more deaths for a toll of 6,755; while the number of critically ill patients remained unchanged from the previous day at 277.A revised virus response system went into effect Saturday to tackle the Omicron wave th

Jan 31, 2022
Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit over 17,000 for 3rd day amid holiday

Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit fresh high amid Lunar New Year holiday

A sign for social distancing is seen as passengers line up to board planes at the domestic flight terminal of Gimpo airport in Seoul, Jan. 29, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday which falls on Feb. 1. AP-Yonhap Daily COVID-19 cases reached an all-time high of 17,532, Saturday amid the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus as people headed to their hometowns or went on trips during the Lunar New Year holiday.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 17,532 new infections, including 17,303 local ones, raising the total caseload to 828,637. The number of cases broke the daily record for the sixth consecutive day, spiking from 8,570, Monday. The KDCA had earlier said Friday's total reached 17,542 but corrected this to 17,526, citing erroneous reporting. The government has urged people to refrain from traveling during the holiday to prevent the spread of COVID-19, warning the infection tally could s

Jan 30, 2022
Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit fresh high amid Lunar New Year holiday

A closer look at COVID-19 home treatment in Korea

A healthcare worker speaks with a COVID-19 patient over the phone at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Anseong Hospital, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jinBy Lee Hyo-jin ANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province ― “How are you feeling today? Are you still coughing badly?” asks a hospital nurse who is on the phone with a COVID-19 patient at home. The nurse went on to ask, “If the pills you took aren't working, you can either get prescription medicine after a face-to-face consultation with a doctor here, or you can ask your family to buy over-the-counter medicine. Would you like to schedule an appointment with the doctor?” On Tuesday morning, healthcare workers, wearing headsets with microphones at an office on the second floor of Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Anseong Hospital, were busy speaking via phone with coronavirus patients.The province-run hospital is the only medical institution providing care for coronavirus patients in Anseong, a satellite city home to about 200,000 people, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul. A 24-hour medical team, consisting of 19 nur

Jan 30, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
A closer look at COVID-19 home treatment in Korea

Korea's daily COVID-19 cases reach yet another record high

A person wearing a motorcycle helmet and a face mask passes by a makeshift COVID-19 testing site in Seoul, Jan. 28. AP-YonhapDaily COVID-19 cases reached yet another record high here Friday, driven by the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, and as a new nationwide response system came into force.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 17,542 new infections, including 17,349 local ones, raising the total to 811,122. The number broke the daily record for the fifth consecutive day, spiking from 8,570, Monday. The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,712, up 34 from Friday, for a fatality rate of 0.83 percent; while the number of critically ill patients was 288, down 28 from the previous day. The KDCA said infection totals could surge to as many as 100,000 a day in the next several weeks, as the government introduced a revised response system Saturday to tackle the Omicron wave. Some 250 testing stations set up at public health centers and large hospitals will adopt both rapid antigen self-tests and polymerase chain reaction

Jan 29, 2022
Korea's daily COVID-19 cases reach yet another record high

Lunar New Year exodus begins amid jitters over Omicron variant

Heavy traffic clogs the southbound lanes of the Gyeongbu Expressway, which links Seoul to Busan, Jan. 28, as many people traveled home on the eve of a five-day break for Lunar New Year's Day, which falls Feb. 1 this year. YonhapDespite a record surge of COVID-19 infections, the annual exodus for the Lunar New Year holiday began Friday, as South Koreans headed to their hometowns for family reunions or off on trips during the extended holiday.This year's three-day holiday runs from Monday to Wednesday and is extended by an extra two days due to the preceding weekend. Traditionally, Koreans head to their hometowns to be with their family members and visit their relatives.As the nation posted five-digit daily tallies of COVID-19 this week, the government is urging the public to refrain from traveling during the holiday, fearing gatherings of people will further heighten the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.Some people have given up on visiting their hometowns in accordance with the government's recommendations, while others are determined to push ahead with their plans to see their pa

Jan 28, 2022
Lunar New Year exodus begins amid jitters over Omicron variant

Shortage of COVID-19 self-test kits looms as Omicron infections spread

Health worker organizes boxes containing COVID-19 self-test kits at a public health center in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap Korea reports all-time high of 16,096 COVID-19 infections, triggering panic buying of self-test kitsBy Bahk Eun-jiDemand for at-home test kits has been soaring following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Korea, spawning fears that the country may face an acute shortage of the diagnostic kits.Fears are mounting as the government has shifted to a new medical response focusing on the early diagnosis and treatment of high-risk groups, with the country reporting an all-time high of 16,096 new COVID-19 infections for Thursday, including 15,894 local cases. Health authorities expect the daily infection tally to rise up to 100,000 in the weeks to come.In order to deal with a spike in the number of daily infections, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said that from Feb. 3, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests wil

Jan 28, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Shortage of COVID-19 self-test kits looms as Omicron infections spread

Members of Moon's entourage on Middle East visit test positive for COVID-19

President Moon Jae-in attends a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Jan. 26. Some members of Moon's entourage on a visit to the Middle East tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home, an official at the presidential office revealed Friday, following media speculation. Yonhap Some members of President Moon Jae-in's entourage on a visit to the Middle East have tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home, an official at the presidential office said Friday. Moon, who returned home last Saturday from an eight-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, worked from home for three days until Tuesday in line with the government's containment guidelines. "After returning home and taking PCR tests, a small number of accompanying personnel tested positive," the official said on the condition of anonymity. Moon didn't come into close contact with those infected during the Middle East visit, the official said, without specifying the exact number of

Jan 28, 2022
Members of Moon's entourage on Middle East visit test positive for COVID-19

Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit new high

People queue for a COVID-19 test at a temporary screening clinic for the coronavirus in Seoul, Jan. 27. AP-Yonhap Daily COVID-19 cases reached yet another record high Thursday, as the country grapples with the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus with a new nationwide response system set to come into force.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 16,096 new COVID-19 infections, including 15,894 local ones, raising the total to 793,582. The daily count set a new record for the fourth consecutive day, spiking from 8,570, Tuesday, and has more than quadrupled since Jan. 17, when the tally hovered around 3,800. The death toll from the coronavirus came to 6,678, up 24 from Thursday, for fatality rate of 0.84 percent. Critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 316, down 34 from the previous day. The KDCA said the infection tally could surge to as many as 100,000 a day in the next several weeks. The governme

Jan 28, 2022
Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit new high

Experts call for easing age limit for antiviral pills, aggressive testing to flatten COVID-19 curve

People stand in line to receive a COVID-19 test at a testing center near Seoul Station, Thursday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea is grappling with its worst COVID-19 crisis yet, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant that is sweeping the country. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 14,518 new infections for Wednesday, breaking the all-time high of 13,012 set the previous day. The figure has doubled in a week. The public health authorities predict that the daily caseload will go as high as 30,000 by next week, while some medical experts believe that the spread of the variant may push the tally to 200,000 by March. Experts pointed out that the government should overhaul its COVID-19 response measures, as Omicron will be extremely difficult to control with the existing tactics that have been designed for earlier variants. “Antiviral treatments are one of the best scientifically proven ways to prevent Omicron patients from falling into critical condition,” Choi Jae-wook, a professor of preventive medicine at Korea University, said. “B

Jan 27, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Experts call for easing age limit for antiviral pills, aggressive testing to flatten COVID-19 curve
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