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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.

New COVID-19 cases spike to second-largest figure amid Omicron fears

A medical worker takes a sample from a woman for a COVID-19 test at a makeshift testing center near Seoul Station, Jan. 21. Yonhap Daily COVID-19 cases spiked Saturday to the second-largest figure since the pandemic outbreak, putting the health authorities on alert amid the fast spread of the Omicron variant.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 7,630 new infections, including 7,343 local ones, raising the total caseload to 733,902.Saturday's figure marks the second-largest since the daily record high of 7,848, Dec. 15.Daily totals have surged at a fast pace this week from the 4,000 level to over 6,000 Thursday and above 7,000, Saturday.Eleven more deaths were reported, raising death toll to 6,540 for a fatality rate of 0.89 percent.The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 431, the KDCA said.The health authorities have warned of a resurgence in the number of infections as the highly transmissible Omicron variant could become

Jan 23, 2022
New COVID-19 cases spike to second-largest figure amid Omicron fears

Daily cases climb to over 7,000 for 1st time in a month amid Omicron fears

A woman wearing a face mask as a precaution against COVID-19 passes by a social distancing sign at a park in Seoul, Jan. 20. AP-Yonhap Daily COVID-19 cases jumped to over 7,000 for the first time in a month Saturday amid the fast spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 7,009 new infections, including 6,729 local ones, raising the total caseload to 726,274.This is the first time since mid-December that the number of daily infections climbed above 7,000.The daily tally has surged at a fast pace this week from 4,000 to over 5,000, Wednesday, and to above 6,000, Thursday.Twenty-eight more deaths were recorded, raising the death toll to 6,529 for a fatality rate of 0.90 percent.The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 433, the KDCA said.The health authorities have warned of a resurgence in the number of infections as the highly transmissible Omicron variant could become the dominant

Jan 22, 2022
Daily cases climb to over 7,000 for 1st time in a month amid Omicron fears

Daily cases over 6,000 for 2nd day as Omicron woes grow

A woman wearing a face mask as a precaution against COVID-19 passes by a social distancing sign at a park in Seoul, Jan. 20. The sign reads: "Safety distance 2 meters." AP-Yonhap Daily COVID-19 cases stayed over 6,000 for a second straight day Thursday amid growing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 6,769 new infections, including 6,482 local ones, raising the total caseload to 719,269.The health authorities are on high alert over a possible spike in infections as many people are expected to travel for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holiday later this month. The daily caseload slightly increased from 6,602 for Wednesday, when it jumped to over 6,000 for the first time in 27 days after staying below this number since Dec. 24. Critically ill patients stood at 43, as the KDCA recorded 21 more deaths, raising the toll to 6,501 fo

Jan 21, 2022
Daily cases over 6,000 for 2nd day as Omicron woes grow
  • Gov't to lower age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 65 to 60: PM

Gov't to lower age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 65 to 60: PM

An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill called molnupiravir, developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck. Reuters-Yonhap The government will lower the age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 65 to 60 to better contain the spread of the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday.Kim announced the measure during a COVID-19 response meeting held a day after President Moon Jae-in said Omicron has become the dominant strain in the country.Until now, COVID-19 treatment pills have been administered to those with compromised immune systems and those aged 65 and above after the first batch of Pfizer's pills arrived in Korea last week."The attack of Omicron appears to have begun in full force," Kim said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, noting that cases have been rising sharply over the past few days."We will try several changes to the curr

Jan 21, 2022
Gov't to lower age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 65 to 60: PM
  • Daily cases over 6,000 for 2nd day as Omicron woes grow

Three South Korean drugmakers to produce Merck's COVID-19 pill

An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir and being developed by Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck & Co Inc, Oct. 26. REUTERS-YonhapThree South Korean companies are among 27 drugmakers chosen to produce low-cost versions of Merck Co.'s COVID-19 pill for low- and-middle-income countries, the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and Seoul's health ministry said Thursday.The U.N.-backed public health organization announced that it signed sublicense agreements with 27 generic drug manufacturers, including South Korea's Celltrion Inc., Hanmi Pharm Co. and Dongbang FTL, to produce the oral antiviral medication molnupiravir to be supplied to 105 countries. Celltrion will make the finished drug and Dongbang FTL will produce ingredients, while Hanmi will produce both.The MPP, which works to increase access to and facilitate the development of life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries, signed a licensing agreement with the U.S. drugmaker last year to boost global access for molnupiravir. T

Jan 20, 2022
Three South Korean drugmakers to produce Merck's COVID-19 pill

Daily cases jump to over 6,000 for 1st time in nearly a month amid Omicron woes

A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a man at a makeshift COVID-19 testing site in Seoul, Jan. 19. AP-Yonhap Daily new COVID-19 infections jumped to over 6,000 for the first time in 27 days Wednesday amid growing worries over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 6,603 new cases, including 6,357 local ones, raising the total caseload to 712,503.The health authorities are on high alert over a possible spike in infections as many people travel for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holiday that begins later this month. The daily caseload has stayed below 6,000 since Dec. 24, when it stood at 6,233. Thursday marks the second anniversary of the first recorded case of the coronavirus in Korea.Critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 488, according to the KDCA, which also reported 28 deaths, raising the toll to 6,480 for a fatality ra

Jan 20, 2022
Daily cases jump to over 6,000 for 1st time in nearly a month amid Omicron woes
  • Pregnant women face dilemma over COVID-19 vaccinations

Pregnant women face dilemma over COVID-19 vaccinations

Getty imagesBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns among pregnant women are growing as they are not included as eligible for the government's vaccine pass exemption.The Central Disease Control Headquarters said Wednesday that pregnant women are not recognized as being exempt from the vaccine pass system because they are in the high-risk group for COVID-19 and are therefore strongly recommended to get vaccinated. According the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) review of several studies, vaccines that are based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology ― such as Pfizer and Moderna ― do not cause complications in pregnant women and fetuses, but pregnant women in Korea are still expressing anxiety over vaccinations.The EMA explained that the review based on studies of about 65,000 pregnant women at each stage found no signs of a higher risk of serious side effects or complications such as miscarriage or premature birth to be caused by the mRNA vaccines. The EMA acknowledged several limitations to the data, but emphasized that the results across the studies were consistent.“The benefits of mRNA COVID-19 v

Jan 20, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Pregnant women face dilemma over COVID-19 vaccinations
  • Omicron set to become dominant strain this week
  • Daily cases jump to over 6,000 for 1st time in nearly a month amid Omicron woes

Omicron set to become dominant strain this week

People wait in line to get swabbed for the coronavirus at a testing center near Seoul City Hall, Wednesday. NewsisNew infections soar to over 5,000 for first time in 20 daysBy Lee Hyo-jin The government has expanded home treatment of COVID-19 patients to those infected with the Omicron variant starting Wednesday. The move comes as the country braces for a fresh wave of infections involving the highly contagious variant which is expected to become the dominant strain within this week.The authorities have also urged foreign residents to receive booster shots, as the infection rate among them has been rising consistently in recent weeks.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country saw 5,805 new infection cases on Tuesday, rising above 5,000 for the first time since Dec. 30, when the figure stood at 5,034. The number of critically-ill COVID-19 patients reached 532 on the same day, with 74 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,452Health authorities attributed the surge to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which recently accounted for 25 percent of

Jan 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Omicron set to become dominant strain this week
  • Pregnant women face dilemma over COVID-19 vaccinations

Daily cases bounce back to over 5,000 for 1st time in 20 days

Warning signs against COVID-19 are seen at a train station in Seoul, Jan. 17. AP-YonhapDaily COVID-19 infections jumped to over 5,000 for the first time in 20 days, Tuesday, amid growing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 5,805 new cases, including 5,431 local ones, raising the total caseload to 705,902.The daily caseload had stayed below 5,000 since Dec. 30, when it reached 5,034.The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 532; while 74 deaths were recorded, raising the death toll to 6,452 for a fatality rate of 0.91 percent.The number of imported cases was tallied at 374, bringing that total to 22,304. (Yonhap)

Jan 19, 2022
Daily cases bounce back to over 5,000 for 1st time in 20 days

Gov't to offer up to 5 million won in medical fee assistance to students with post-vaccine symptoms

A health worker wearing protective gear prepares for visitors in sub-zero temperatures at a temporary screening clinic for COVID-19 in Seoul, Jan. 14. AP-YonhapThe government plans to offer up to 5 million won ($4,200) in medical fee assistance for treatment of post-vaccination side effects among students, officials said Tuesday, as it plans to expand the vaccine pass system to include 12- to 18-year-olds in March.According to the education ministry, students under 18 showing serious side effects within 90 days of inoculation, albeit without confirmed causality from the vaccination, will be eligible for the medical fee assistance starting next month and running until May 2023.The government already covers costs for hospital stays and other kinds of treatment when a causal link between a COVID-19 vaccine injection and side effects is proven.According to officials, the portion of students aged between 12 and 18 with their first shots administered stood at 78.6 percent as of Monday, while 66.5 percent had received their full two shots. The ministry also plans to offer up to 3 million wo

Jan 18, 2022
Gov't to offer up to 5 million won in medical fee assistance to students with post-vaccine symptoms
  • Gov't lifts vaccine pass at some facilities despite infections rising above 4,000
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