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Man mistakenly given COVID-19 vaccine instead of shingles shot

People head to an inoculation center to receive COVID-19 vaccine shots in Gwangju, Monday. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooA man received a COVID-19 vaccine injection instead of a shingles shot due to a nurse's mistake at a general hospital in Sejong City, local government officials there said, Monday.According to the special self-governing city, the 54-year-old man visited the hospital on May 4 to get a shingles vaccine. But after the injection, the nurse said a single dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine was administered instead. After receiving the shot, the man experienced muscle pain, one of the side effects found among people who receive coronavirus vaccine injections.Recognizing the administrative error, the hospital told the man to be hospitalized for close monitoring. Luckily, he did not have any other symptoms. The local government found that the hospital failed to confirm the prescription and check it with the patient before administering the vaccine.Despite the blunder, the hospital will not be subject to any punishment as the man did not suffer any further ill effects from the medical

May 11, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Man mistakenly given COVID-19 vaccine instead of shingles shot

New cases back above 500 amid possible hike woes

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus relax at a public park along the Han River in Seoul, May 9. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose back above 500 on Tuesday, with health authorities remaining on alert over a potential spike amid spreading variant cases.The country reported 511 more COVID-19 cases, including 483 local infections, raising the total caseload to 128,283, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Tuesday's figure rebounded from 463 a day earlier but is lower than 564 Sunday and 701 Saturday. The daily caseload usually spikes after weekends as more people get tested. There was four additional deaths from the virus, raising the total to 1,879. The fatality rate was 1.46 percent.Of the new locally transmitted cases, 310 cases came from the capital area, with 163 from Seoul, 127 from Gyeonggi Province and 20 from Incheon, just west of Seoul. South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan reported 13 more cases.There were 28 additional imported cases, bringing the country's total number of imported cases to 8,

May 11, 2021
New cases back above 500 amid possible hike woes

Most Korean man-foreign woman couples seeking divorce are facing financial woes

gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeMost “international” couples comprised of a Korean citizen husband and a foreign national wife who were on the verge of divorce in 2020 suffered from financial difficulties, according to the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations. The center published statistics related to 708 such cases in which it offered divorce-related legal counseling last year. Among them, 65 percent of the sessions were carried out at the request of the Korean husbands, while the rest were at the request of the wives. With regards to their financial situation, 83.8 percent of the immigrant wives and 61.9 percent of the Korean husbands said they did not have a stable income. Some 25 percent of the wives said that they were homemakers, and 21.5 percent of the Korean husbands said that they were unemployed.“Couples in multicultural marriages had more factors that could lead to a divorce from the beginning of their marriages, such as financial difficulties and large age gaps,” a center official said.The cases in which both men and women had married for the f

May 11, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Most Korean man-foreign woman couples seeking divorce are facing financial woes

'Vaccination passport' faces both expectations and concerns

A debate on whether to adopt the “vaccination passport,” a certificate confirming a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has sparked hopes and worries at the same time. gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeMany countries are under active discussion on whether to adopt the so-called “vaccination passport,” and Korea is no exception. People here are showing mixed reactions, with some expressing hopes for it to expedite economic recovery, while others worrying about possible discrimination against those who do not hold such a passport. The vaccination passport refers to a certificate confirming that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19.Those who show this certificate may receive several benefits, such as being allowed to travel more freely or enjoy leisure activities that have been largely closed off during the prolonged public health crisis. Some countries have already introduced similar programs and some others are planning to do so. Korea hasn't adopted any such vaccination passport yet, but, starting May 5, the country has been allowing fully vaccinat

May 10, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
'Vaccination passport' faces both expectations and concerns

Up to 10 million won to be provided for those who suffer from COVID-19 vaccine side effects

gettyimagesbankA maximum 10 million won ($8,970) payout will be provided for those who require hospitalization after being administered with novel coronavirus vaccines even without proven causal links to the COVID-19 jabs starting next week, health authorities said Monday.The government has so far covered costs for hospital stays and other kinds of treatment only when a causal link between a COVID-19 vaccine injection and side effects is proven.Starting on May 17, those who suffer from post-vaccination side effects can apply for the updated medical expense assistance scheme even when there is not enough proof of being related to an inoculation, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The KDCA said an independent panel will review all applications and provide medical expenses for those who were previously excluded from the medical expense assistance program, the authorities said.The KDCA, however, said the expanded medical expense coverage will only be carried out temporarily and will exclude those whose hospitalizations were overtly proven to be related to other u

May 10, 2021
Up to 10 million won to be provided for those who suffer from COVID-19 vaccine side effects

New cases under 500 on fewer tests

Women wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus ride a bicycle at a public park along the Han River in Seoul, May 9. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by the smallest number in a week on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities remained worried over a potential spike amid spreading variant cases.The country reported 463 more COVID-19 cases, including 436 local infections, raising the total caseload to 127,772, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Monday's figure fell from 564 Sunday and 701 Saturday as fewer people took virus tests over the weekend. The daily caseload usually spikes after weekends as more people get tested.The average daily infections neared 600 in the past week as people have increased their gatherings and activities to enjoy the warmer weather. There was one additional death from the virus, raising the total to 1,875. The fatality rate was 1.47 percent.Spreading variant cases are putting health authorities on edge as the country's southeastern region and cities are reporting a s

May 10, 2021
New cases under 500 on fewer tests

Police officer lodges human rights petition for 'being forced' to get vaccine

Kim Chang-yong, National Police Agency Commissioner General, receives an AstraZeneca vaccine against coronavirus at a public health center in Jongno, Seoul, April 27. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwonBy Lee Hyo-jin A police officer has lodged a petition with the nation's human rights watchdog claiming that he and his colleagues have been forced by their superiors to receive COVID-19 inoculations. Kim Gi-beom, a sergeant at Gimhae Jungbu Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province, filed the petition with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, April 30, against National Police Agency (NPA) Commissioner General Kim Chang-yong and head of Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency Lee Moon-soo.In the petition, Sergeant Kim accused Commissioner Kim and Lee of violating officers' human rights, privacy and right to pursue happiness stipulated in the Constitution. “Unlike their promise that each individual officer will be given a choice on whether to receive a vaccine, superiors at police agencies have virtually coerced officers into getting it,” he said during an interview wit

May 9, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Police officer lodges human rights petition for 'being forced' to get vaccine

New virus cases fall below 600 on fewer tests

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus ride Gyro Drop as they visit to celebrate Children's Day at Children's Grand Park in Seoul, May 5. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 600 on Sunday mainly due to fewer tests as health authorities try to boost the nationwide vaccination drive to contain the spread. The country reported 564 more COVID-19 cases, including 522 local infections, raising the total caseload to 127,309, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Sunday's figure was sharply down from 701 from the previous day. The daily caseload usually spikes after weekends as more people get tested. The average daily virus figure neared 600 in the past week as people have increased their activities due to the warmer weather. There were nine additional deaths from the virus, raising the total to 1,874. The fatality rate was 1.47 percent.The country plans to vaccinate 13 million people by June and 36 million by September in order to achieve herd immunity in November. Health authorities said some 8.95 million peop

May 9, 2021
New virus cases fall below 600 on fewer tests

New infections rise back to 700s amid variant concerns

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk along a crosswalk in Seoul, May 7. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new COVID-19 infections rose back to the 700s for the first time in 10 days Friday as the country remains on alert for a potential upsurge in cases caused by coronavirus variants.In a statement, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it has found 701 more cases, including 672 local ones, raising the total caseload to 126,745. The daily caseload reached 488, Monday, on fewer tests over the weekend and stayed under 700 until Thursday. There were 760 daily infections on April 28. Five more deaths were reported, raising the toll to 1,865 with a fatality rate of 1.47 percent, the KDCA said. The cases rebounded as people have been increasingly enjoying the warmer weather outside and holding family gatherings.Additionally, more cases caused by coronavirus variants were reported in the southeastern city of Ulsan. In stepped-up efforts to contain cases there, the health authorities increased the number of temporary screening centers to 10

May 8, 2021
New infections rise back to 700s amid variant concerns

Number of COVID-19 cases in Gangneung foreign worker community rises to 71

An early COVID-19 testing center in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on May 6 which was prepared at a site previously used as a bus terminal / Yonhap The number of reported new coronavirus cases within the foreign worker community in Gangneung has climbed to 71, the municipality said Friday, raising concerns over the spread of the virus in the area.According to health officials in Gangneung, about 240 kilometers east of Seoul, 14 migrant workers from Russia were newly confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 earlier in the day. Five South Koreans in the city tested positive for virus as well.An initial cluster infection was reported over the weekend. The number of cases is expected to increase as the city plans to conduct additional rounds of mass testing in the coming weeks, mainly on around 800 workers from Russian-speaking countries, to contain further spread of the virus.The municipality is paying particular attention to the possibility of the cluster infection expandi

May 7, 2021
Number of COVID-19 cases in Gangneung foreign worker community rises to 71
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