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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.

Daily infections below 4,000 for 5th day amid tightened curbs

A man reads a sign about the COVID-19 vaccine pass system posted on the door of a discount store in Seoul, Jan. 10. Yonhap Daily COVID-19 infections stayed below 4,000 for the fifth consecutive day Monday amid tightened antivirus restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) added 3,097 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,813 local ones, raising the total caseload to 670,483.The agency also recorded 43 more deaths, raising the toll to 6,114 for a fatality rate of 0.91 percent.Critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 780, staying below 1,000 for more than a week.The government has imposed toughened antivirus restrictions since mid-December, after the number of daily infections soared to nearly 8,000 following the implementation of a "Living with COVID-19" strategy that called for the phasing in of eased social distancing rules.The antivirus curbs, set to be in effect until Sunday, include a four-person cap on p

Jan 11, 2022
Daily infections below 4,000 for 5th day amid tightened curbs
  • Gov't to introduce 'choice and concentration' strategy to brace for Omicron surge

Vaccine pass at large retailers criticized for lacking scientific grounds

A woman scans the QR code of a vaccine pass app on a mobile phone to enter a large retail store in Daegu, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Criticism is mounting over the COVID-19 vaccine pass mandate for large supermarkets, discount outlets and department stores, which came into effect from Monday, with critics calling on the government to justify the scientific grounds for implementing the new measure. The vaccine pass system, which requires either proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result to be presented to enter multiuse facilities, has been expanded to shopping malls, retail outlets, department stores and bookstores measuring 3,000 square meters or more in floor space.These large stores have been freshly added to the list of multiuse facilities subject to the vaccine pass system, including eateries, cafes, libraries and indoor gyms. But criticism is escalating over the system, among people who find it unscientific and excessive. According to government data, 427 and 327 infections occurred at large retail stores and department stores, in 2021, respectively, whereas 7,491 cas

Jan 10, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Vaccine pass at large retailers criticized for lacking scientific grounds
  • Retailers in despair over new vaccine pass rule

Omicron cases in Seoul more than double to 456 from week ago

A healthcare worker disinfects a facility at a COVID-19 testing center in the Songpa District of southern Seoul, Jan. 10. YonhapInfections from the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had more than doubled to 456 in Seoul, Monday, from last week's 183 cases, according to the city government.The variant makes up 0.2 percent of the total COVID-19 cases confirmed in the capital so far. Omicron is highly likely to become the most prevalent COVID-19 variant in the city by late this month or February, Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official with the local government said. Seoul, meanwhile, saw its average number of daily new coronavirus infections decline from 1,533 in the final week of December to 1,077.7 last week. The fatality rate remained unchanged from two weeks ago at 1.5 percent. (Yonhap)

Jan 10, 2022
Omicron cases in Seoul more than double to 456 from week ago
  • Daily infections below 4,000 for 4th day amid tightened distancing rules

Daily infections below 4,000 for 4th day amid tightened distancing rules

Employees from the tourism industry stage a rally in Jongno, central Seoul, for financial support from the government amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Jan. 9. Yonhap Daily COVID-19 infections stayed below 4,000 for the fourth straight day Sunday here amid tightened distancing rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 3,007 new cases, including 2,768 local ones, raising the total caseload to 667,390.South Korea also recorded 34 more deaths, raising the toll to 6,071 for a fatality rate of 0.91 percent. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 786, staying below 1,000 for the seventh consecutive day.In November, the government eased antivirus restrictions as part of efforts to return to normalcy in phases under its "Living with COVID-19" strategy.Daily cases, however, soared to a record high of 7,848, Dec. 15, prompting the government to re-impose a set of revised virus restrictions

Jan 10, 2022
Daily infections below 4,000 for 4th day amid tightened distancing rules
  • Omicron cases in Seoul more than double to 456 from week ago

Daily infections below 4,000 for 3rd day amid Omicron woes

Visitors wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Jan. 7. AP-YonhapNew daily COVID-19 cases stayed below 4,000 for the third straight day Saturday as the country maintained tightened distancing curbs amid fears over the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 3,376 new infections, including 3,140 local ones, raising the total caseload to 664,391.The new cases fell from 3,510 the previous day and 3,716 for Friday.Fifty-one more deaths from the coronavirus were also recorded, raising the toll to 6,037 for a fatality rate of 0.91 percent, the KDCA added. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 821, staying below 1,000 for six consecutive days.In early November, the government eased antivirus restrictions as part of efforts to return to normalcy in phases under the "Living with COVID-19" strategy.Daily cases, however, soared to a record high of 7,848, Dec. 15, prompting the government to re-impose a set of revised virus restrictions until Jan. 2, later

Jan 9, 2022
Daily infections below 4,000 for 3rd day amid Omicron woes

Daily virus cases stay below 4,000 for 2nd day despite Omicron fears

Visitors wearing face masks to help curb the spread of COVID-19 at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Jan. 7. AP-YonhapNew daily COVID-19 infections stayed below 4,000 for the second day Friday as the country maintained tightened distancing curbs amid persistent worries over a resurgence in infections and the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 3,510 new cases, including 3,300 local ones, raising the total caseload to 661,015.It marked a slight drop from 3,717 posted for Thursday and the 4,443 tallied Wednesday.The KDCA added 54 more deaths ― higher than the previous day's 45 ― raising the toll to 5,986 for a fatality rate of 0.91 percent. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 838, staying below 1,000 for five consecutive days.In early November, the government eased antivirus restrictions as part of efforts to return to normalcy in phases under its "Living with COVID-19" strategy.Daily cases, however, soared to a record high of 7,848, Dec. 15, prompting the government to re-impose a set of revised

Jan 8, 2022
Daily virus cases stay below 4,000 for 2nd day despite Omicron fears

Korea set to approve Novavax COVID-19 vaccine by this month

This file photo taken on Nov. 17, 2020, shows vials with COVID-19 Vaccine labels attached and syringes, with the logo of U.S. biotech company Novavax. AFP-YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The Korean drug regulator is set to approve the use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Novavax this month, making it the fifth vaccine to be used in the country.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which is currently reviewing Novavax's Nuvaxovid, is expected to give the green light by the end of January. “The drug ministry is close to approving the vaccine. Once approved, the priority recipients of the vaccine will be those who are yet to be vaccinated,” Hong Jeong-ik, a senior official at the KDCA, said during a media briefing. Local drugmaker SK Bioscience, with which Novavax has signed a manufacturing contract, applied on Nov. 15 for product approval. The Novavax vaccine will become the fifth COVID-19 vaccine product approved by the Korean authorities, after AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & John

Jan 8, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea set to approve Novavax COVID-19 vaccine by this month

Ongoing vaccine pass confusion may hamper booster shot rollout

A worker at a study cafe in Seodaemun District, Seoul, attaches a notice reading that the vaccine pass mandate has been suspended following an administrative court ruling, Jan.4. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin Ongoing legal complaints over the COVID-19 vaccine pass system are feared to be hampering the government's booster shot rollout, which may cause setbacks in its quarantine strategies amid the increasing spread of the Omicron variant.The vaccine pass, which requires a proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result to access facilities such as eateries and cafes, is being challenged by a fierce public backlash involving multiple lawsuits.A Seoul Administrative Court hearing on the injunction seeking to nullify the vaccine pass was held on Friday. The suit was jointly filed by over 1,000 people including doctors, against the chiefs of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Earlier in the day, some 1,700 people, l

Jan 7, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Ongoing vaccine pass confusion may hamper booster shot rollout
  • Cafes, restaurants defiantly stay lit up at night in resistance to anti-virus biz curfew

Daily virus cases fall below 4,000 for first time in 3 days amid Omicron fears

People wait to get tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Seoul, Jan. 7. YonhapSouth Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in three days Friday as the country is speeding up booster vaccination shots amid persistent concerns over the potentially more transmissible Omicron variant.The country added 3,717 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,529 local infections, raising the total caseload to 657,508, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The figure was down 409 from the previous day's tally and 1,158 fewer than a week earlier. This also marked the first time in three days that the daily cases have fallen to the 3,000s following 4,443 on Wednesday and 4,125 on Thursday.South Korea reported 45 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 5,932, the KDCA said. The figure was lower than the previous day's 49 deaths, and the fatality rate was 0.9 percent.The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 839, down 43 from the previous day. The figure has stayed below 1,000 for four consecutive days. As of 9 p.m., the c

Jan 7, 2022
Daily virus cases fall below 4,000 for first time in 3 days amid Omicron fears
  • COVID-19 antiviral pills to arrive in Korea next week: PM

COVID-19 antiviral pills to arrive in Korea next week: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks at a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul, Jan. 7. Yonhap Antiviral COVID-19 pills will arrive in South Korea next week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday."We will make sure they can be used swiftly," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul. The government has so far secured oral COVID-19 drugs for around 1 million patients. The country signed a pre-purchase contract with U.S. drug giant Pfizer for its Paxlovid pill for 762,000 patients. It also inked a deal with MSD, a subsidiary of U.S. drugmaker Merck, for the pre-purchase of oral coronavirus medications for 242,000.The first shipment of COVID-19 pills is expected to arrive around Thursday. The government will announce its plan on the imported oral virus treatments in detail next week.To cope with the fast spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Kim called for an overhaul of the medical response system in terms of pace and efficiency. He said the health autho

Jan 7, 2022
COVID-19 antiviral pills to arrive in Korea next week: PM
  • Daily virus cases fall below 4,000 for first time in 3 days amid Omicron fears
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