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New cases in 1,800s for second day amid spread in capital area

A woman gets tested for COVID-19 at a temporary center in Seoul Station, Sept. 10. Yonhap Daily new COVID-19 cases stayed in the 1,800s here for the second straight day Friday despite infections continuing to spread in the greater Seoul area.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,865 more coronavirus cases, including 1,816 local ones, raising the total caseload to 271,227.The number was down 27 from Thursday but still 62 more than Friday last week. In the past week, the number of new infections has ranged from 1,375 to 2,049, for an average of 1,759 a day.The daily caseload has stayed in the four-digits since July 7 amid the fast spread of the more transmissible Delta variant nationwide.The country added 10 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the toll to 2,358.The capital area has seen a resurgence in infections, with 74.2 percent of the new cases being counted in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.The KDCA has expressed particular concer

Sep 11, 2021
New cases in 1,800s for second day amid spread in capital area

8 in 10 Koreans plan to stay at home during Chuseok: poll

A woman wearing a face mask runs near a banner for COVID-19 vaccination in Seoul, Sept. 10. AP-YonhapNearly eight out of 10 South Koreans have no plans to visit their hometowns or travel during the upcoming Chuseok holiday amid the widespread COVID-19 fears, a poll showed Friday.In the survey of 1,001 adults nationwide conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 77 percent said they do not have any plans to leave their homes for more than one night during the Chuseok holiday, the autumn harvest celebration. This year's Chuseok runs from Sept. 20-22, and it will be extended by an extra two days due to a preceding weekend.According to Gallup Korea, only 19 percent of the survey's participants revealed plans to visit their hometowns for longer than one night during this year's Chuseok. Merely 2 percent said they plan to travel for more than one day.Traditionally, Koreans head back to their hometowns to be with their family members and visit their ancestors' graves to commemorate them. But health authorities are advising against hometown visits or travel during the extra-long hol

Sep 10, 2021
8 in 10 Koreans plan to stay at home during Chuseok: poll

New COVID-19 cases fall back under 1,900

People wait in line for COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing center near Seoul Station in central Seoul, Sept. 10. YonhapSouth Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell back to slightly below 1,900 on Friday, while authorities are striving to curb the virus surge and raise the vaccination rate ahead of a major holiday when many people travel. The country added 1,892 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,857 local infections, raising the total caseload to 269,362, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload was down from over 2,000 cases over the past two days.Daily cases have stayed in the four-digits for the last 66 days amid the fast spread of the more transmissible delta variant nationwide.The country added five more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,348.The Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the nation's 51.3 million population, has emerged as the hotbed of the country's latest wave of the pandemic, accounting for around 70 percent of the total.Health authorities have expressed concerns over a further surge in cases during

Sep 10, 2021
New COVID-19 cases fall back under 1,900

Controversy growing over price paid for COVID-19 treatments

gettyimagesbankGoverment moving fast to secure new medicinesBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government is working to preemptively secure oral COVID-19 treatments that are expected to be commercialized within the year. The authorities are moving fast, bracing for fierce competition between countries around the world, as seen in the cutthroat race to secure COVID-19 vaccines. The government said closed meetings with a global pharmaceutical company have been held to pre-purchase COVID-19 treatments.“What has been discussed is confidential for now. We will unveil several details after a contract is completed,” Koh Jae-young, a senior official from the Central Disease Control Headquarters, told reporters, Wednesday.Among global pharmaceutical companies, Merck has been ahead of its competitors in developing oral COVID-19 treatments, with the firm expected to seek the emergency use authorization of its Molnupiravir (MK-4482) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in October at the earliest. Molnupiravir is an “investigational oral antiviral candidate for treatment of mild to moderate

Sep 10, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Controversy growing over price paid for COVID-19 treatments

New cases exceed 2,000 for 2nd day amid worries over further upticks

A medical worker takes samples for COVID-19 at a makeshift testing center near Seoul Station in central Seoul, Sept. 9. YonhapSouth Korea's daily coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for the second day Thursday as health authorities warned that new infections may further rise ahead of a major national holiday when millions travel.The country added 2,049 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,018 local infections, raising the total caseload to 267,470, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload is similar to 2,048 cases reported a day earlier, when the tally bounced back to the 2,000s after a week.Daily cases have stayed in the four-digits for the last 65 days amid the fast spread of the more transmissible delta variant nationwide.The country added nine more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,343.The Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the nation's 51.3 million population, has emerged as the hotbed of the country's latest wave of the pandemic, accounting for around 70 percent of the total.Health authorities have expressed

Sep 9, 2021
New cases exceed 2,000 for 2nd day amid worries over further upticks

Smallest preemie discharged from hospital in good health

The parents of Cho Keonoo pose with neonatology professor Kim Ai-rhan at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Sept. 3, with their baby who was discharged from the hospital after five months of intensive care after being born as a 288-gram “preemie.” Courtesy of Asan Medical CenterBy Bahk Eun-jiA premature baby weighing only 288 grams and measuring 23.5 centimeters, small enough to fit into an adult's palm, was recently discharged from hospital following 153 days of treatment. Doctors say it is a miracle that the “preemie” overcame less than a 1 percent chance of survival. According to the department of neonatology at Asan Medical Center Seoul, the infant, named Cho Keonoo who was born after 24 weeks and six days gestation, was released from hospital in good health, Sept. 3It is very rare anywhere in the world for a premature baby weighing less than 400 grams to survive and Keonoo was recorded as the smallest preemie to survive here.He was the first child for the parents who were married six years ago. At the 17th week of pregnancy, doctors told them the fetus was not

Sep 9, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Smallest preemie discharged from hospital in good health

New cases spike to over 2,000 again

People wait to get coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Sept. 7. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases surged to over 2,000 again in a week on Wednesday as authorities step up antivirus efforts and the vaccination drive to curb the pandemic. The country added 2,050 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,014 local infections, raising the total caseload to 265,423, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload bounced back to over 2,000 in a week. It is up from 1,597 on Tuesday, 1,375 on Monday and 1,490 on Sunday, when new cases usually remain lower than other weekdays due to less testing over the weekend. Daily cases have stayed in the four-digits for the last 64 days amid the fast spread of the more transmissible variants nationwide. The country added four more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,334.Health authorities expressed worries about the virus resurgence in the Seoul metropolitan area, which could spread across the nation when people travel during the fall harvest Chuseok holiday, set for Se

Sep 8, 2021
New cases spike to over 2,000 again

Local governments encourage foreign residents to get vaccinated

Foreign residents wait to receive COVID-19 vaccine shots at a vaccination center in Gwangju, Sunday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiLocal governments are ramping up efforts to encourage foreign residents to receive vaccinations against COVID-19 as the number of new infections among foreign nationals is steadily increasing. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Tuesday, 15.2 percent of newly confirmed patients between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4 were foreign nationals. In particular, more than half of confirmed cases were non-Koreans in some cities and counties which have a large number of migrant workers due to the large presence of factories and farms there ― 55 percent in Hwaseong and 50.5 percent in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and 67.6 percent in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, over the same period. For Seoul, 6.3 percent of new patients were foreigners in July, but the figure jumped to 9.2 percent in August.The health authorities believe rising infections among foreign residents could be attributed to the low inoculation rate resulting from a lack of information on

Sep 7, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Local governments encourage foreign residents to get vaccinated

Controversy arises over move to allow singles to adopt children

Jeong Jae-min, an official at the Ministry of Justice, speaks during a briefing in Seoul, Monday, on the ministry's plan to allow single people to adopt children. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A controversy is arising over the government's move to allow single people to legally adopt children, with the decision being welcomed by those who agree on the need to recognize diverse forms of family, while others express concerns over possible child abuse by the adoptive parent. The Ministry of Justice announced Monday a plan to amend the law to allow an adult who is single to adopt children if they meet certain requirements proving their capability of raising a child.Under the current law, only couples who have been married for three years are allowed to adopt a child. Unmarried people are ineligible for adoption based on the traditional view that they would face more difficulties in raising a child than married couples.But a ministry taskforce created to devise policies for single-member households said that many single people are as capable as married people of raising children, and thus the elig

Sep 7, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Controversy arises over move to allow singles to adopt children
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