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President Moon, first lady receive COVID-19 booster shots

President Moon Jae-in, left, receives a COVID-19 booster shot at a vaccination center in Seoul, Oct. 15. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook on Friday both received a COVID-19 booster shot, in line with a guidance from health authorities, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) began administering booster shots earlier this week for people aged 60 and older as well as medical workers, as part of the nation's strategy to ensure maximum protection for the public. Moon and Kim qualified for a third shot of COVID-19 vaccine under the guidance.Moon received AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccines in March and April, and the third shot was Pfizer. So far, about 78 percent of the nation's population have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines and the number of fully vaccinated people stood at 31.62 million, or 61.6 percent.The fully vaccinated rate is expected to reach over 70 percent of the population at the end of this month, which has been considered a precondition for the gradual plan to put daily life b

Oct 15, 2021
President Moon, first lady receive COVID-19 booster shots

Government to raise gathering size limit to 8 under new distancing rules: PM

Social distancing signs are seen on tables at a lecture room at Seoul National University in Seoul, Oct. 13. YonhapThe government decided Friday to raise the private gathering size limit to eight people for the capital area and 10 for elsewhere before the country shifts to a "living with COVID-19" scheme next month, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said.Under the renewed plan that will go into effect Monday, the greater Seoul area will remain under the toughest social distancing of Level 4, while the rest of the country will be under Level 3, Kim said during an interagency meeting on the government's coronavirus response.However, Kim added that some virus curbs will be eased for fully vaccinated people as the country tries to bring people's virus-hit lives back to normal on a gradual basis with the inoculation rate increasing. "We hope that this will be our last adjustment in social distancing so that we can start a gradual return to normalcy in phases in November," Kim said. "To relieve the pain of small business owners and merchants, we will make some changes to the virus curbs."Startin

Oct 15, 2021
Government to raise gathering size limit to 8 under new distancing rules: PM

KU Medicine seeks social value with new campuses

An image of Korea University (KU) Medicine Koyoung Campus in Gangnam District, Seoul / Courtesy of KU MedicineBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea University (KU) Medicine has supported the government's quarantine efforts as a large general hospital since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.It was the first university hospital in the country to send medical workers to Daegu, which was a virus hotbed in the first wave of the pandemic here, and operated three facilities in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province for treating patients with mild symptoms. Doctors and researchers at KU Medicine also participated in developing COVID-19 diagnostic kits, vaccines and plasma treatments, as well as giving policy recommendations to health authorities.These are part of KU Medicine's efforts to invest in future value rather than seeking short-term results.The university hospital is also expanding its facilities and rearranging their functions and resources to provide medical treatments and pursue research and education.In addition to three existing hospitals ― Anam and Guro in Seoul and Ansan in Gyeonggi Province ― it ope

Oct 15, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
KU Medicine seeks social value with new campuses

Only 3 in 10 Koreans wash hands with soap after using toilet: survey

gettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiOnly three out of 10 Koreans wash their hands with soap for at least 30 seconds after using the toilet, a report showed, Thursday. Nearly 90 percent of the people surveyed for the report believed they were exercising sufficient personal hygiene, but fell short of health authorities' guidelines.The report was made through a phone survey on 5,000 people during October last year by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), and data collected from direct observation by health officials of 2,000 people using public toilet basins.To ensure proper hygiene, hands must be washed thoroughly with soap in running water for a minimum 30 seconds, the KDCA said. In the phone survey, 87.3 percent of respondents said that they wash their hands properly, up from 72.4 percent the previous year.Among those who said they don't, 51.4 percent said they simply hadn't developed the habit of handwashing, while 29 percent said it is bothersome and 5 percent cited the absence of soap in the washrooms they use as the reasons for failing to observe basic hygiene.KDCA wor

Oct 15, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Only 3 in 10 Koreans wash hands with soap after using toilet: survey

New cases near 2,000 amid rising vaccination rate

Employees at a travel agency in Seoul return to work, Oct. 13, as COVID-19 confirmed cases showed signs of a slowdown. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases neared the 2,000s on Thursday, but the daily caseload dropped from a week ago as the country ramped up its vaccination rate in a move to prepare for a gradual return to normal life.The country added 1,940 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,924 local infections, raising the total caseload to 337,679, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload rose 356 from Wednesday but was down 485 from 2,425 a week earlier. The daily number of COVID-19 cases has stayed in the quadruple digits since July 7. The country added 13 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,618. The fatality rate was 0.78 percent.The health authorities are scheduled to announce new social distancing rules on Friday ahead of the government's plan to get people's virus-hit lives back to normal on a gradual basis starting next month.The new social distancing rules are expected to include expanding private gat

Oct 14, 2021
New cases near 2,000 amid rising vaccination rate

Korea officially prepares for 'living with COVID-19'

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks during a meeting of a government-civilian joint committee handling virus prevention measures at the Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapOver 60% of population fully vaccinatedBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea has officially started discussion on “living with COVID-19” measures as the full vaccination rate is expected to reach 70 percent of the population soon, and the nation will need quarantine guidelines different from the current ones that are focused on banning activities and operations.The government launched a government-civilian joint committee, Wednesday, for the transition to the “living with COVID-19” era, which will collect opinions and give advice for new guidelines, which it aims to announce at the end of this month and implement in November.Such a move has come as 60 percent of the population was fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, and the 70 percent goal, which the government believes as the starting point for herd immunity, is expected to be reached earlier than its initial forecast of Oct. 23.“After the times of o

Oct 13, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea officially prepares for 'living with COVID-19'

Volunteer service 'can actually change lives': Rotary International president

Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Anguk-dong, Seoul, Oct. 8. Courtesy of Rotary KoreaBy Nam Hyun-wooIn July, Rotary International, one of the largest volunteer service organizations in the world, embraced the new leadership of Shekhar Mehta, chairman and founder of India-based real estate developer Skyline Group. Under Mehta's leadership, Rotary is becoming a more action-oriented organization, focusing on practical goals that can actually change lives. “When I say 'serve,' I'm asking you to do some action,” Mehta said during an interview with The Korea Times, Oct. 8, during his visit to Seoul. “And what happens when you serve people? It changes their lives. As you keep changing other people's lives, your life becomes sublime.”Mehta became the global head of Rotary International on July 1 and will serve in the post until June 30 of next year. As the president, he has set his theme of leadership to, “serve to change lives,” which he said refers to providing tailored and practical help to p

Oct 13, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Volunteer service 'can actually change lives': Rotary International president

Breakthrough cases near 14,000

gettyimagesbankSouth Korea has reported nearly 14,000 coronavirus infections involving people who tested positive for COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated, health authorities said Wednesday.There were 13,860 breakthrough cases out of more than 22.1 million people who have received the full-dose vaccine regimen, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Since the country's nationwide inoculation campaign began in late February, 40.1 million people, or 78.1 percent of the population, have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, and the number of fully vaccinated people stood at 31.2 million, or 60.8 percent.The rate of breakthrough cases occurring in people in their 30s was the highest at 0.129 percent, with the rate decreasing among the elderly, the KDCA said.The rate of breakthrough cases among those who have received jabs supplied by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson came to 0.216 percent, trailed by AstraZeneca with 0.068 percent, Pfizer Inc. with 0.043 percent and Moderna with 0.005 percent.The KDCA said similar cases may increase as the c

Oct 13, 2021
Breakthrough cases near 14,000

New cases stay in 1,000s for 5th day on increased tests

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus feed fish at a park in Goyang, Oct. 11. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases stayed in the 1,000s for the fifth straight day Wednesday as more people took virus tests after an extended weekend. The country added 1,584 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,571 local infections, raising the total caseload to 335,742, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Health authorities had predicted that newly confirmed cases would rise after the extended weekend that ended Monday, a substitute holiday for Hangeul Day on Oct. 9, which celebrates the proclamation of the Korean alphabet.The daily number of COVID-19 cases has stayed in the quadruple digits since July 7. The country added 11 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,605. The fatality rate was 0.78 percent.Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said that the government is considering introducing a vaccine pass system to benefit fully vaccinated people, as it plans to adopt a gradual scheme named "living with COVID

Oct 13, 2021
New cases stay in 1,000s for 5th day on increased tests

Gov't considers introducing vaccine pass for 'gradual return to normalcy': PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks during a meeting on the government's response to COVID-19 at the government complex in Seoul, Oct. 13. YonhapSouth Korea will consider introducing a "vaccine pass" for people's gradual return to normal life, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday, as the country prepares to adopt a "living with COVID-19" scheme. Kim hinted at easing virus prevention measures under the new scheme, which is expected to begin Nov. 9, but he stressed that does not mean that the country should let its guard down against the virus. Under the scheme, COVID-19 will be treated as an infectious respiratory disease, like seasonal influenza. "We are not saying people should take off their masks right away," Kim said during the inaugural meeting of a new government-civilian committee handling the transition to normal life under the pandemic. "Although we may ease quarantine measures, we should also prepare for the worst possible situation."Kim said that a "vaccine pass," which will allow fully vaccinated individuals access to multiuse facilities, should be considered as vacc

Oct 13, 2021
Gov't considers introducing vaccine pass for 'gradual return to normalcy': PM
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