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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.

New cases at new high of over 2,200 despite month of toughest virus curbs

A woman gets tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Seoul Station, Aug. 11. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases reached a new high of over 2,200 on Wednesday since the start of the pandemic in January last year in the face of month-long toughened virus curbs and a slower than expected vaccination campaign.The country added 2,223 COVID-19 cases, including 2,145 local infections, raising the total caseload to 216,206, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload was up 683 from 1,540 the previous day. The country added one more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,135. The daily virus caseload exceeded 1,000 for the first time on July 7 and has stayed above 1,000 for 35 days. The country reported its first confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Jan. 20 of last year. Health experts expected the virus curve to go up due to fast spreading delta variant, Liberation Day holiday and ahead of the start of second-half school semesters later this month. Liberation Day falls on Sunday, which marks Korea's liberation from Japa

Aug 11, 2021
New cases at new high of over 2,200 despite month of toughest virus curbs

Supply problems seriously disrupt vaccination schedule

People wait to receive a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Monday. YonhapMore people losing trust in gov't vaccination programBy Lee Hyo-jin The delay in the shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines has disrupted the government's vaccination plan, leading to confusion among people who had their inoculation appointments abruptly rescheduled. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Monday that the U.S.-based pharmaceutical company has more than halved the 8.5 million doses it had planned to deliver in August due to production-related problems.Due to the supply delay, the government has announced that it will readjust the gap between the first and second doses of the mRNA vaccines ― Pfizer and Moderna ― to six weeks from the current four, starting Aug. 16. This announcement led to confusion among those who had their appointments abruptly pushed back by two weeks without receiving any prior notice from the health authorities. “I checked the COVID-19 vaccine app (COOV) after reading the news. The reservation for my second shot,

Aug 10, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Supply problems seriously disrupt vaccination schedule

SK Bioscience's COVID-19 vaccine candidate to enter phase 3 clinical trial

Minister of Food and Drug Safety Kim Gang-lip announces at the media briefing that the government has approved SK Bioscience to conduct the phase three clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Aug. 10. YonhapSouth Korean drugmaker SK Bioscience has won an approval to conduct the phase three clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, drug authorities said Tuesday.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said GBP510, under development by SK Bioscience, a unit of the country's No. 2 family-controlled conglomerate SK Group, is the country's first indigenous vaccine candidate to enter the last phase of clinical trial. The clinical trial will compare GBP510 against the COVID-19 vaccine by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, the ministry said. It marks the second time in the world for such a comparison trial to be conducted.The clinical trial will be simultaneously held in different countries by injecting the vaccine candidate in some 3,000 participants. SK Bioscience aims to produce an interim result of its clinical trial during the first quarter of next year before seeking fina

Aug 10, 2021
SK Bioscience's COVID-19 vaccine candidate to enter phase 3 clinical trial

Korea to urge Moderna to swiftly supply vaccine amid delayed shipments

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki presides over the Cabinet meeting at the Seoul Government Complex, Aug. 10. YonhapFinance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Tuesday the government plans to call on Moderna to swiftly supply its COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S. drugmaker is expected to delay the planned shipment for this month.Moderna has notified the government that it plans to supply less than half of the 8.5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine planned for August, spawning concerns that the country's vaccine rollout may hit a snag amid the fourth wave of the pandemic."The government should make all-out efforts to call on Moderna to swiftly supply the vaccine and seek international cooperation so as to help achieve the goal of inoculating 36 million people before the fall harvest Chuseok holiday," Hong said while presiding over a Cabinet meeting.The country aims to administer the first dose to 36 million people, 70 percent of its 52 million population, by September, with the goal of achieving herd immunity by November. The government seeks to advance the first goal before the Chuseok holiday set fo

Aug 10, 2021
Korea to urge Moderna to swiftly supply vaccine amid delayed shipments

New virus cases over 1,500, further surge in store

A high school senior receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a vaccination center in Seoul's Nowon District, Aug. 9. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 1,500 on Tuesday, as the nationwide resurgence of COVID-19 cases continued amid the summer season. The country added 1,540 COVID-19 cases, including 1,476 local infections, raising the total caseload to 213,987, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload was up 48 from 1,492 the previous day. The country added nine more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,134. Health authorities said that virus infections in the greater Seoul area show signs of slowing due to the toughest social distancing measures, but cases piled up outside the capital areas. Cases in the greater Seoul area reached 818, with 356 in Seoul, 398 in Gyeonggi Province and 64 in Incheon, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, which accounted for 55.4 percent of the locally transmitted cases.The southeastern port city of Busan posted 105 new cases, while neighboring South Gyeongsang Provi

Aug 10, 2021
New virus cases over 1,500, further surge in store

Pregnant women anxious over COVID-19 vaccinations

gettyimagesbankGov't to announce vaccination guidelines for pregnant women this monthBy Jun Ji-hyePregnant women here are expressing anxiety over COVID-19 vaccinations, as the Korean government has yet to establish clear guidelines for them, at a time when new daily virus cases have remained above 1,000 for more than a month, with the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. They are categorized as a high-risk group for COVID-19, as they can become seriously ill more easily once infected with the virus, compared to the general public, according to medical experts. Infected pregnant women also face a greater risk of premature deliveries and babies with low birth weights.Choosing to get a vaccine is also not an easy option for them. Some pregnant women are raising fears over the vaccinations, due to the possibility of abnormal reactions after inoculation, and the fact that there is insufficient data about COVID-19 vaccinations and pregnancy. “I dread being infected with the coronavirus. But at the same time, I feel scared about receiving the shots as well

Aug 10, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Pregnant women anxious over COVID-19 vaccinations

Korea's vaccination plan faces setback amid Moderna vaccine supply shortage

A medical official holds a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Quimper, western France, in this photo taken on June 29. AFP-YonhapModerna's production problem slashes August shipment to KoreaBy Jun Ji-hyeModerna will supply less than half of the vaccines planned for this month to Korea, causing concerns that the government's plan to speed up vaccinations in the third quarter could face a major setback. This comes amid the ongoing fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely comprised of infections caused by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced Monday that the U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology company had notified officials here that it will supply less than half of the 8.5 million doses for this month due to problems at its labs related to vaccine production.“Moderna said the problems were delaying its global vaccine supply and apologized, vowing to do its best to supply the vaccines that were promised,” KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said during a press briefing. The governme

Aug 9, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Korea's vaccination plan faces setback amid Moderna vaccine supply shortage

Foreign workers have higher risk of occupational accidents

gettyimagesbankExperts advise stronger monitoring of workplace safety, proper and timely treatment By Lee Hyo-jin A 24-year-old Uzbek worker at a waste disposal company in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, died after getting stuck in a shredding machine, July 29. In the same month, a 33-year-old Sri Lankan worker at a plastic manufacturing factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was found dead after he was caught in a compressor. These cases are among many tragic deaths of workers of foreign nationality who have fallen victim to occupational accidents in Korea. Data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor submitted to Rep. Kang Eun-mi of the social democratic minor opposition Justice Party showed that one in eight ― or 12 percent ― of the victims of fatal occupational accidents that have occurred over the past 18 months were workers of foreign nationality. A total of 1,113 workers died between January 2020 and June this year, 135 of whom were foreign national workers. Given that workers of foreign nationality hold only some 4 percent of the total 24 million salaried employee positions in

Aug 9, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Foreign workers have higher risk of occupational accidents

Moderna's vaccine supply to run short in Aug.: health authorities

In this March file photo, a healthcare worker prepares Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. AP-YonhapModerna has notified South Korean health authorities that it will supply less than half of the 8.5 million vaccines planned for August, Seoul officials said Monday, spawning concerns that the country's vaccine rollout may hit a snag.Moderna said the vaccine supply will run short in August, adding that there are some problems in labs related to vaccine production, delaying its global vaccine supply, according to health authorities.The government clinched a deal to secure 40 million doses from U.S. pharmaceutical firm Moderna. After shipping 112,000 shots in the first half, the company has sent an additional 2.34 million doses to Korea since July. With the planned supply shortage, health authorities have decided to readjust the timing for administering the second shot.Starting on Aug. 16, the second dose of mRNA vaccines will be given six weeks after the first, longer than the current four-week dosing regimen.The government said it will immediately lodge a complaint against Moderna over the planne

Aug 9, 2021
Moderna's vaccine supply to run short in Aug.: health authorities

New infections under 1,500 on fewer tests

Cars line up as drivers wait for the COVID-19 testing at a drive-thru testing center set up in Incheon, Aug. 9 YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 1,500 on Monday on fewer tests over the weekend as the country has extended its highest virus rules for another two weeks due to relentless spread of the virus. The country added 1,492 COVID-19 cases, including 1,455 local infections, raising the total caseload to 212,448, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload was down 237 from 1,729 the previous day, falling below the 1,700s for the first time since Wednesday. The country added four more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,125. Health authorities decided to extend the Level 4 distancing measures, the highest in the country's four-tier system, for the greater Seoul area until Aug. 22, with other areas remaining under Level 3. The Level 4 restrictions ban gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m., place a 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes, and suspend the operations of nightclubs and o

Aug 9, 2021
New infections under 1,500 on fewer tests
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