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Gov't to extend COVID-19 social distancing measures

People queue in line to wait for the coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Dec. 22. AP-YonhapThe ruling Democratic Party and the government agreed Wednesday on the need to extend the current virus curbs and allocate funds for the purchase of a fourth shot of vaccines, a DP spokesperson said.The two sides reached the consensus during a meeting on the COVID-19 response, noting that key indicators, such as the operation of ICUs and the numbers of critically ill COVID-19 patients and deaths, have yet to improve, Rep. Shin Hyun-young said in a press briefing.The party asked, however, that the government consider making minor adjustments to the social distancing measures to minimize damage to specific business sectors, the spokesperson added.The current virus curbs include a maximum private gathering size of four people and a 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. curfew on businesses. The government is expected to announce an update before the end of the scheme on Sunday.Shin said the DP urged the government to look into providing advance compensation to small businesses hurt by the curbs

Dec 29, 2021
Gov't to extend COVID-19 social distancing measures

Loose anchor for helium tank blamed for Nuri rocket failure: science ministry

South Korea's first locally-developed space launch vehicle, known as Nuri, lifts off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Oct. 21. The loosening of a device to anchor a helium tank of the Nuri space rocket was found to have caused the early shutdown of the rocket's third-stage engine, leading to a mission failure, the science ministry said Wednesday. YonhapThe loosening of a device to anchor a helium tank of the Nuri space rocket was found to have caused the early shutdown of the rocket's third-stage engine, leading to a mission failure, the science ministry said Wednesday.In October, South Korea launched the country's first homegrown space rocket, also called the KSLV-II. It flew to a target altitude of 700 kilometers, but failed to put the dummy satellite into orbit as its third-stage engine burned out 46 seconds earlier than expected. The government set up a committee, involving the researchers of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and other aerospace experts, to learn what went wrong. After weeks of investigation, the committee concluded that t

Dec 29, 2021
Loose anchor for helium tank blamed for Nuri rocket failure: science ministry

Seoul citizens pick infectious diseases as most dangerous health hazard over fine dust and climate change: survey

Social distancing signs on precautions against the coronavirus are displayed on a chair at a subway station in Seoul, Dec. 27. AP-YonhapCitizens in Seoul picked infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, as the most dangerous health hazard, followed by fine dust and climate change, a survey showed Wednesday.Infectious diseases topped the list of dangerous health and environmental factors with 4.21 points on a 5-point scale in an online survey of 1,000 Seoul citizens and 321 experts on public health and the environment, according to the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment.Fine dust came in second at 4.02 points, followed by climate change at 3.98 points and harmful chemical substances at 3.97 points.Infectious diseases were also cited as the biggest risk affecting the quality of life at 4.51 points. The survey also showed that 59 percent of Seoul citizens experienced health problems related to fine dust, 45.3 percent in connection to urban life problems, such as noise and light pollution, and 42.5 percent to infectious diseases. (Yonhap)

Dec 29, 2021
Seoul citizens pick infectious diseases as most dangerous health hazard over fine dust and climate change: survey

Coronavirus: Number of critical cases surges to record high

A medical worker wearing protective gear in a booth takes a sample from a woman in the sub-zero temperatures at a temporary screening clinic for the coronavirus in Seoul, Dec. 28. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 5,000 for the first time in three days Wednesday and the number of critically ill patients surged to a record high.The country added 5,409 new COVID-19 infections, including 5,283 local infections, raising the total caseload to 620,938, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure marked a rise from 3,865 on Tuesday and 4,206 on Monday, but it represented a sharp decline from a daily record high of 7,849 on Dec. 15. The number of new daily cases usually shrinks at the beginning of the week due to less testing over the weekend.The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients rose to another record high of 1,151, the KDCA said. Previous record high was 1,105 reported on Saturday. Critical cases have stayed above 1,000 for nine consecutive days.The country added 36 more deaths from the pandemic, bringing

Dec 29, 2021
Coronavirus: Number of critical cases surges to record high

Local governments seek rebound in medical tourism

A dermatologist treats patients from Mongolia at a medical center in Daegu, in this April 23, 2019 photo. Courtesy of Daegu Metropolitan CityBy Bahk Eun-jiThe COVID-19 pandemic, which has lasted for almost two years, has impacted local governments' efforts to promote medical tourism. Foreign patients come here to receive treatment at local medical institutions, during which they are also free to go sightseeing, shopping and experience Korean culture, and many programs are offered by public and private agencies to offer support at various stages of their stay.But medical tourists have been unable to visit the country due to travel restrictions and fears of infection during travel. Unless they need to get urgent treatment available only in Korea, many who planned to travel here for medical purposes have delayed their plans because a large ratio of medical tourists used to come for health checkups or cosmetic surgeries.According to data from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the number of medical tourists visiting Korea last year was 117,069, down 76.5 percent from 2019's

Dec 28, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Local governments seek rebound in medical tourism

Workers reluctant to receive booster shot without vaccine leave

Members of the public remain under observation to check for any serious side effects after receiving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots at an inoculation center in Gwangju in this Nov. 15 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiReceiving a booster shot to defend against COVID-19 has become a necessity rather than an option as the government has made the vaccine pass system mandatory in order to access multiuse facilities within a six month expiration date window. However, many office workers are complaining about the additional dose because most companies are now not providing any vaccine leave, unlike during the first round two-shot vaccination drive.Decisions such as this are not only seeing workers voicing their frustration but also are having the counterproductive effect of making them reluctant to get the third shot.Kim Tae-yeon, a teacher at a private day care center in Seoul's Jungnang District, hasn't decided yet whether to get the booster shot.The head of the day care center told the teachers that she can't give them vaccine leave for the booster shot, so teachers should receive the vaccine

Dec 28, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Workers reluctant to receive booster shot without vaccine leave

Korea to begin project for solid-fuel space rocket next year

In this Oct. 21 file photo, Nuri emits fire and exhaust gases before lifting off from a launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. Korea plans to embark on a civilian-military project next year to design a solid-fuel space launch vehicle under a broad initiative to develop the country's space defense industry, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday. Joint Press CorpsSouth Korea plans to embark on a civilian-military project next year to design a solid-fuel space launch vehicle under a broad initiative to develop the country's space defense industry, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday.At a policy forum, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) unveiled the initiative consisting of 24 key tasks aimed at locally developing cutting-edge technologies, nurturing the space industry and strengthening civilian-military cooperation.The initiative entails a plan to transfer the solid-fuel space rocket technology currently under development to the civilian sector in phases, which will pave the way for civil-military cooperation on the

Dec 28, 2021
Korea to begin project for solid-fuel space rocket next year

New COVID-19 cases drop below 4,000 for 1st time in nearly a month

A medial worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a man at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Dec. 27. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in 28 days Tuesday due partly to antivirus restrictions and fewer tests over the weekend, but the number of critical cases remained high.The country added 3,865 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 615,532, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure marked the first time daily cases fell below 4,000 since Nov. 30, and represented a sharp decline from a daily record high of 7,849 on Dec. 15. The number of new daily cases usually shrinks at the beginning of the week due to less testing over the weekend.The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients slightly rose to 1,102 after reaching an all-time high of 1,105 on Saturday, the KDCA said. Critical cases have stayed above 1,000 for the eighth consecutive day.The country added 46 more deaths from the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 5,346. The fatality rate stood at 0.87 percent.The country also

Dec 28, 2021
New COVID-19 cases drop below 4,000 for 1st time in nearly a month

Will COVID-19 pills help relieve current wave of infections?

Medical staff wearing protective gear work in an intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients at Hyemin Hospital in Seoul, Monday. Joint Press CorpsKorea to introduce Pfizer's oral treatments from JanuaryBy Lee Hyo-jin Medical experts showed mixed reactions to whether the introduction of oral COVID-19 treatment pills, scheduled for mid-January, will be a “game changer” in the country's battle against the coronavirus.The experts were also divided on whether enough doses for 604,000 people, which the government has secured so far, will be sufficient to curb the current wave of infections.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced Monday that it has secured enough antiviral drugs for 604,000 people, including doses for 362,000 people of Paxlovid developed by Pfizer and doses for 242,000 people of Molnupiravir from Merck.The pills will be gradually introduced from mid-January beginning with initial supplies of Paxlovid to be used to treat patients who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms.The announcement came shortly after the country's d

Dec 27, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Will COVID-19 pills help relieve current wave of infections?

Korea approves Pfizer's oral COVID-19 pill

This image provided by Pfizer in October shows the company's COVID-19 Paxlovid pills. Korea's drug safety agency on Monday approved an emergency authorization of the drug. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's drug safety agency on Monday approved an emergency authorization of U.S. drug giant Pfizer Inc.'s oral drug to treat COVID-19, making it the first such pill to be used in the country.Paxlovid is the antiviral pill for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients at increased risk of hospitalization or death, according to Pfizer and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.The ministry convened a panel of experts from both inside and outside to review the safety and efficacy of Paxlovid, and concluded that the oral pill is needed to deal with the public health crisis.The drug is a protease inhibitor antiviral therapy that is specifically designed to be administered orally so that it can be prescribed at the first sign of infection or at first awareness of an exposure.The ministry said trial results showed Paxlovid significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization or death in patients at

Dec 27, 2021
Korea approves Pfizer's oral COVID-19 pill
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