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Korea sees growing number of breakthrough infections

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Thursday that more than 5,000 COVID-19 breakthrough  infections, mostly among young men who received Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine, have been detected as of Sept. 12. Janssen COVID-19 vaccine / YonhapAccording to the KDCA, 5,880 people tested positive for COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated with the one-shot vaccine.This means 40.2 people per 100,000 fully vaccinated patients have been subject to breakthrough infections. By age group, people in their 30s made up the largest ratio, of up to 110.1 per 100,000.From Aug. 29 to Sept. 11, 10.2 percent of new cases, or 20,895, were believed to be breakthrough infections.By vaccine type, people getting Janssen shots made up the largest portion, with 161.2 out of 100,000 testing positive, followed by 33.5 people receiving Pfizer jabs, 27.6 receiving AstraZeneca and 24.2 receiving Moderna.In Korea, Janssen was mostly given to men in their 30s after the United States provided 1 million doses of the vaccine in June to be used for military-related personnel

Sep 23, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea sees growing number of breakthrough infections

Conflict deepening between Seoul gov't, LGBT festival organizers

People march in central Seoul during the annual parade of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, June 27. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A conflict is deepening between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organizers of the annual Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF), following the city government's recent decision to reject the latter's application to be registered as a non-profit organization. The Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) Organizing Committee, consisting of members of the LGBTQ community and their allies, has been holding the annual festival in central Seoul since 2000. The festival calls for human rights for sexual minorities and the eradication of discrimination.The committee filed an application to the city government in October 2019 to be registered as a non-profit organization.After nearly two years of review, the city sent a letter to the committee, turning down its application, on Aug. 25. The city government explained that its decision was based on a history of reports of indecent exposure by the participants in its cultural events, such as at its parades and film festivals. It

Sep 23, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Conflict deepening between Seoul gov't, LGBT festival organizers

Government devises measures to boost COVID-19 vaccination among migrant workers

Foreign residents wait to get COVID-19 vaccine at the community welfare center in Gwangsan District, Gwangju, Sept. 5. YonhapThe government has come up with a set of special measures to boost the COVID-19 vaccination rate among migrant workers here as fears of a possible crackdown on unregistered immigrants are holding back their vaccination turnout, officials said Thursday.The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Justice and other related government agencies discussed the measures in an interagency pandemic response meeting held a day earlier in a bid to help ease the hesitation many migrant workers have over inoculation. The plan includes the installation of temporary inoculation centers in areas with a population of 20 or more foreigners and the dispatch of medical workers to a place where there are five or more foreign nationals needing inoculation. The government also plans to provide medical treatment subsidies for undocumented immigrants in the event they have officially recognized side effects from vaccines. It will also launch a special campaign to help defus

Sep 23, 2021
Government devises measures to boost COVID-19 vaccination among migrant workers

New cases in 1,700s for 3rd day; post-holiday resurgence in store

People receive COVID-19 vaccine shots at a vaccination center in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Sept. 23. YonhapSouth Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 1,700 for the third day in a row Thursday on fewer testers during the three-day Chuseok holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, that ended Wednesday, but concerns run high over a potential resurgence across the country down the road.The country reported 1,716 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,698 local infections, raising the total caseload to 292,699, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was slightly down from 1,720 on Wednesday.Daily cases have stayed over 1,000 for the last 79 days amid the fast spread of the more transmissible delta variant nationwide. The country reported eight more deaths from COVID-19 on the day, bringing the death toll to 2,427.Health authorities remain vigilant about a potential resurgence after the extended holiday, urging people to get preemptive COVID-19 tests to prevent further infections as increased traffic could worsen the virus infection

Sep 23, 2021
New cases in 1,700s for 3rd day; post-holiday resurgence in store

Korea to receive 1 mil. doses of Pfizer vaccine from Britain in swap deal

A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in front of displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken, on Oct. 30, 2020. Reuters-YonhapKorea will receive 1 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines from Britain in their bilateral vaccine swap deal, health authorities said Wednesday.The Korean government inked the agreement on vaccine swap cooperation with Britain earlier in the day and the two sides are in talks over supply details, according to the pan-government task force on COVID-19 vaccines.The Pfizer vaccines are likely to gradually land here starting Saturday and Korea will return the same amount of borrowed vaccines to Britain in December.The vaccine swap deal came as President Moon Jae-in and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the issue during their summit talks on Monday (local time) in New York on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session.With the doses from Britain, South Korea plans to administer the second shots of vaccines to those aged between 18 and 49 and people in their 50s as the

Sep 22, 2021
Korea to receive 1 mil. doses of Pfizer vaccine from Britain in swap deal

Fear grows over resurgence of infections due to Chuseok gatherings

People wait to take COVID-19 tests at a testing site set up at a public health center in Jeju, Wednesday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are growing over the possibility of the current fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic worsening, as the number of infections is feared to surge again following family gatherings during the Chuseok holidays. While infections in Seoul and the surrounding area still account for 77 percent of the nation's total, a further spike in cases in areas outside of the capital area is expected, as many residents of the Seoul metropolitan area visited their hometowns during the holiday period.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday, the number of daily new infection cases during the holiday period, from Saturday to Tuesday, ranged between 1,604 and 1,909, which is much higher than the range of 1,375-1,485, which has been tallied on weekends for the past month before the holidays.For Tuesday, 1,720 new infections were reported, out of some 100,000 people who were tested for the virus. Considering the fact that 160,000-180,000 te

Sep 22, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Fear grows over resurgence of infections due to Chuseok gatherings

Seoul making progress toward vaccine production hub goal

President Moon Jae-in bumps elbows with Cytiva CEO Emmanuel Ligner, left, who submitted a $52.5-million investment plan to Korea, during a signing ceremony for a South Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership in New York, Tuesday. On the right is Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooPresident Moon Jae-in made progress in COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy during his visit to the U.S., taking one more step towards Korea becoming a vaccine production hub. Moon secured more vaccines for Korea's residents and in return, pledged to donate others to developing countries. Moon took part in a Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership signing ceremony in New York, Tuesday, attracting a $52.5-million investment from U.S. vaccine material producer Cytiva. This time is the first time that an overseas vaccine material producer has invested in Korea. Cytiva has the second-largest biopharmaceutical production capacity in the world. Cytiva will make the investment from 2022 to 2024, with a plan to produce disposable cell culture fluid, an essential material for vaccine production, in short supp

Sep 22, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Seoul making progress toward vaccine production hub goal

New COVID-19 cases over 1,700 for 2nd day

A woman wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus stretches her leg in Seoul, Sept. 17. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed in the 1,700s for the second consecutive day on Wednesday despite fewer tests during an extended Chuseok holiday, raising concerns over a spike in new infections across the nation after the holiday. The country reported 1,720 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,703 local infections, raising the total caseload to 290,983, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload was slightly down from 1,729 on Tuesday, but it was seen as mainly attributable to fewer tests over the fall harvest Chuseok holiday, which runs from Monday to Wednesday. Daily cases have stayed over 1,000 for the last 78 days amid the fast spread of the more transmissible delta variant nationwide.The country added six more deaths from COVID-19 on the day, raising the death toll to 2,419.The Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the nation's 52 million population, has emerged as the hotbed of the country's latest wave of

Sep 22, 2021
New COVID-19 cases over 1,700 for 2nd day

New cases slightly over 1,700; concerns grow over further spread after Chuseok holiday

A woman gets tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Seoul Station, Sept. 20. Yonhap South Korea's daily coronavirus cases increased to over 1,700 on Tuesday despite fewer tests over the weekend, adding to woes that infections could further increase after the Chuseok holiday in the wider capital area. The country reported an additional 1,729 COVID-19 cases, including 1,697 local infections, raising the total caseload to 289,263, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).It was the third straight day the daily caseload fell under 2,000, but the latest figure marked the country's highest-ever figure for a Monday, the KDCA data showed. The daily tally is counted until midnight and announced the following morning.Also, it marked the country's highest-ever figure for a Saturday, Sunday and Monday for three days in a row, the KDCA said. The country added four more deaths from COVID-19 on the day, raising the death toll to 2,413. As of 6 p.m.

Sep 21, 2021
New cases slightly over 1,700; concerns grow over further spread after Chuseok holiday

'Body profile' trend may cause serious side effects

gettyimagesbank By Lee Hyo-jin Flexing muscles for photo shoots was once reserved for celebrities and professional athletes. But recently, an increasing number of young, ordinary Koreans having their toned, muscular bodies professionally photographed after months of working out in a challenge called shooting one's “body profile.” Social media channels are flooding with posts including body profile photos. The body profile hashtag has over 2 million posts on Instagram, and hundreds of YouTubers have been participating in the challenge to update their viewers on their progress.Body profile photos have emerged as a trend among people in their 20s and 30s, who are choosing to spend their time at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic focused on their physical health and perfecting their appearance.They engage in months of intensive workouts with personal trainers in order to shape their bodies for a photo session reserved at a studio. Weeks of restrictive diets, living on sala

Sep 21, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
'Body profile' trend may cause serious side effects
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