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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.

Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate ranks 10th among OECD countries

A person receives a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Gwanak District, Seoul, Saturday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The percentage of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 here, which topped 70 percent Saturday, is the 10th-highest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).As of 2 p.m., Saturday, over 35.94 million ― or 70 percent ― of the country's population of 51.35 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The 70-percent rate was achieved 240 days after the government kicked off its nationwide inoculation drive Feb. 26. According to Our World in Data, of the 38 OECD countries, Korea's percentage of fully vaccinated ranked 10th, higher than those of Japan, the United States and France. Portugal came in first at 86.82 percent, followed by Iceland (81.04 percent), Spain (79.58 percent), Chile (75.75 percent), Denmark (75.73 percent), Ireland (74.97 percent), Canada (73.49 percent), Belgium (73.24 percent) and Italy (70.75 percent).Such an achievement is notable, as Korea's

Oct 25, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate ranks 10th among OECD countries
  • Gov't urged to improve COVID-19 home treatment system after patient's death

Gov't urged to improve COVID-19 home treatment system after patient's death

An ambulance transfers a COVID-19 patient to a hospital in Eunpyeong District of Seoul in this photo taken in December 2020. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is being urged to improve the way it handles COVID-19 patients after an infected man died when his condition deteriorated quickly while he was waiting at home for an ambulance. This latest fatality is raising concerns as more patients displaying mild or no symptoms are expected to be told to stay home in line with the government's envisioned shift to a “living with COVID-19” policy from November. According to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, the man, in his 60s, who was placed under isolation at his home in the Seodaemun District of Seoul, died Thursday morning, after his condition deteriorated abruptly while waitinf to be transferred to a hospital. This death is the first reported among some 13,000 cumulative cases of people who have undergone home treatment since the system was adopted in January of this year. According to the public health authorities, the paramedics arrived at the patient's house

Oct 24, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't urged to improve COVID-19 home treatment system after patient's death
  • Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate ranks 10th among OECD countries

Halloween, vaccinations for foreigners new concerns ahead of 'Living with COVID-19'

A shopping mall in Seoul is crowded with people, Sunday. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe health authorities are on high alert over Halloween, as the upcoming celebration, during which time popular areas such as Itaewon and Gangnam are expected to be crowded with partygoers, could serve as catalyst for massive COVID-19 infections ahead of the government's planned shift to its “Living with COVID-19” plan.They are also redoubling their efforts to boost the vaccination rate among foreign residents amid growing concerns that their lower participation in the inoculation program could pose a major setback to the policy shift.The government is pushing to implement its “Living with COVID-19” measures from Nov. 1 at the earliest, under which the authorities will ease social distancing measures and focus more on managing critically ill patients rather than all infections, in a bid to achieve a phased return to “normal life.”But concerns have been raised that news about the government's plans to ease social distancing measures could lead more young people to flock to p

Oct 24, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Halloween, vaccinations for foreigners new concerns ahead of 'Living with COVID-19'
  • New virus cases below 1,500 amid progress in vaccination campaign

New virus cases below 1,500 amid progress in vaccination campaign

A citizen gets vaccinated at a gym in eastern Seoul, Oct. 23. YonhapSouth Korea's daily COVID-19 cases fell below 1,500 on Sunday amid signs of a letup in the fourth wave of the pandemic, with the country seeking to phase out social distancing restrictions, as its vaccination rate reached the milestone of 70 percent.The country reported 1,423 new cases, including 1,395 local infections, raising the total caseload to 351,899, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Sunday's tally is down from the 1,508 counted the previous day. New virus cases stayed below 2,000 for the 16th day in a row.The death toll came to 2,766, up 21 from a day earlier.Daily virus caseloads tend to fluctuate depending on the number of coronavirus tests, which generally decrease during weekends and holidays.Although South Korea has logged more than 1,000 daily cases since early July, it is seeing a downward trend after reaching the peak of 3,272 cases on Sept. 25.The ceiling on private gatherings has been raised to allow up to eight people to meet in Seoul and its surrounding areas starting Mo

Oct 24, 2021
New virus cases below 1,500 amid progress in vaccination campaign
  • Halloween, vaccinations for foreigners new concerns ahead of 'Living with COVID-19'

70 percent of population fully vaccinated in South Korea; en route to 'new normal'

People wait to check for any abnormal symptoms after getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at an inoculation center in Seoul, Oct. 21. YonhapSouth Korea achieved its goal of fully inoculating over 70 percent of the country's population Saturday, earlier than scheduled amid its accelerating vaccination drive.A total of 35.94 million people had received both their shots of COVID-19 vaccines as of 2 p.m., accounting for 70 percent of the country's 51.3 million population, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).South Korea began its nationwide vaccination campaign in late February.The achievement comes as the country is set to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions starting next month, joining a list of countries embracing new plans for returning to normal life with the coronavirus.The government's plan, dubbed "Living with COVID-19," is set to take effect in early November, meaning COVID-19 will be treated as an infectious respiratory disease such as seasonal influenza, with eased social distancing being implemented.The authorities expect vaccinations wi

Oct 23, 2021
70 percent of population fully vaccinated in South Korea; en route to 'new normal'

New virus cases below 2,000 for 15th day as vaccination rate nears 70 percent milestone

People line up in front of Dongdaemun Gate, designated as National Treasure No. 1, in Seoul's Jongno District, Oct. 22, to take coronavirus tests at a nearby screening center. Yonhap South Korea saw its new daily COVID-19 infections rise slightly for Friday, but the numbers stayed below 2,000 for the 15th straight day, as the country's vaccination rate is nearing a key milestone of 70 percent.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,508 new cases, including 1,487 local ones, raising the total caseload to 350,476. Friday's tally is up from the 1,439 counted the previous day. Twenty more deaths were also reported, raising the toll to 2,745.Daily virus caseloads tend to fluctuate depending on the number of coronavirus tests, which generally decrease during weekends and holidays.Although South Korea has logged more than 1,000 daily cases since early July, it is seeing a downward trend in infections after the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandem

Oct 23, 2021
New virus cases below 2,000 for 15th day as vaccination rate nears 70 percent milestone

Groundless vaccine misinformation spreading online

People wait to see whether they have any side effects after receiving coronavirus vaccine shots at COVID-19 vaccination center in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiNearly 70 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but some people still believe and spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about the vaccines, refusing to get injections. The misinformation and groundless claims are being fueled by isolated cases of severe side effects involving vaccinated people. Experts urge the government to take countermeasures against false information, which could prevent people from getting vaccinations or vaccinated people from getting booster shots.There are hundreds of online communities populated by people refusing to get vaccinations due to their distrust of the coronavirus vaccines. Besides just fear, many people upload stories lacking any scientific grounding. One account claimed that a person experienced “vaccine sh

Oct 22, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Groundless vaccine misinformation spreading online
  • Robust vaccination campaign keeps new infections largely in check

Robust vaccination campaign keeps new infections largely in check

A visitor wearing a face mask passes by a sign reminding the precautions to take against the coronavirus at an exhibition hall in Goyang, Oct. 20. AP-YonhapSouth Korea reported 1,440 new daily cases Friday in a downward trend in its coronavirus infections as its strong vaccination push seems to be helping prevent the spread of the coronavirus from spinning out of control.The new tally, including 1,420 local infections, brought the total caseload to 348,969, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's number is down one from the 1,441 counted the previous day. It is also down 117 from a week ago. The death toll came to 2,725, up 16 from a day earlier.Although South Korea has logged more than 1,000 daily cases since early July, it is seeing a downward trend in its coronavirus infections after the fourth wave of the pandemic peaked in late September.The average daily number of confirmed cases during the Oct. 10-16 period was 1,562, down 20.3 percent from the previous week, according to KDCA data released earlier this week. Of the locally transmitted cases, Seou

Oct 22, 2021
Robust vaccination campaign keeps new infections largely in check
  • Groundless vaccine misinformation spreading online

Doctors at top hospitals spend only 4 minutes per patient: data

gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-youngPatients who go to the top hospitals in Korea usually wait for more than an hour but they usually see their doctor for only about four minutes ― and this situation is only getting worse.According to Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) data submitted to Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, doctors at SNUH, which is one of the capital's three most popular hospitals along with Samsung Medical Center and Asan Medical Center, spent on average 4 minutes and 26 seconds seeing each outpatient between January and August this year. That is even shorter than last year when they spent 4 minutes and 37 seconds per patient.By department, cardiology, endocrinology and metabolism outpatients saw their doctors for 3 minutes and 28 seconds on average. Urologists, nephrologists, gastroenterologists, doctors of rehabilitation medicine, hemato oncologists and neurologists all had less than four minutes to spend on each of th

Oct 21, 2021By Yoon Ja-young
Doctors at top hospitals spend only 4 minutes per patient: data

Gov't aims to shift to 'Living with COVID-19' phase from Nov. 1

Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol, right, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong attend the National Assembly's audit of the health ministry and the KDCA, Wednesday. Joint press corpsBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government is pushing to introduce its “Living with COVID-19” phase Nov. 1 at the earliest, as the nation's vaccination rate is expected to reach 70 percent in the coming days, according to Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol. Kwon said the government was “considering” beginning the plan that day, under which the health authorities will ease social distancing measures and focus more on managing critically ill patients rather than all virus cases.The minister made the remarks during the National Assembly's audit of the health ministry and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday. Kwon's comments indicated that the schedule for the policy shift could be moved up by about a week, as the government had previously said the change could take place around Nov. 9.The earlier-tha

Oct 21, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Gov't aims to shift to 'Living with COVID-19' phase from Nov. 1
  • New virus cases slightly dip amid speedy vaccination campaign
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