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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.

Will US backing of waiver on vaccine patents boost supply in Korea?

A medical worker prepares to administer a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a public inoculation center in Yongsan, Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiMany Koreans are paying keen attention to whether the United States' endorsement of waiving COVID-19 vaccine patents to increase global production will bolster supply here and help the country achieve herd immunity by November.However, the health authorities and local pharmaceutical industry remain cautious about the prospect, saying that the possible waiver will not lead to the immediate production of a vaccine locally, citing uncertain factors, including when and for how long the patent protections will be eased.On Wednesday (local time), the Joe Biden administration expressed its support for a move to temporarily lift intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines amid a global shortage. The activation of the patent waiver, which is intended to promote the production of generic drugs in other countries, means that drug manufacturers will have to give up the right to exercise ownership of their patents.If the waiver takes effect, Kor

May 7, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Will US backing of waiver on vaccine patents boost supply in Korea?
  • When will Korea introduce its own COVID-19 vaccine?
  • New cases stay in 500s for 2nd day amid woes over variants

New cases stay in 500s for 2nd day amid woes over variants

On May 6, when COVID-19 vaccination for people aged 70-74 began in Korea, a call center employee in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District answers a caller who wants to reserve a dose of vaccine. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new virus cases remained in the 500s for the second day Friday as the country remained guarded against a potential upsurge in variant cases.The country reported 525 more COVID-19 cases, including 509 local infections, raising the total caseload to 126,044, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The daily caseload reached 488 on Monday on fewer tests over the weekend but rose to the mid-500s on Tuesday and to over 600 on Wednesday.The country added nine more deaths, raising the death toll to 1,860, the KDCA said.Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki said health authorities will make all-out efforts to pull down the daily new cases below 500 per day on average. The reproduction rate is under 1 this week, indicating that a virus patient infects less than one person.In an enhanced measure against rising mutated cases in the southeastern city of Ulsan, the health

May 7, 2021
New cases stay in 500s for 2nd day amid woes over variants
  • When will Korea introduce its own COVID-19 vaccine?
  • Will US backing of waiver on vaccine patents boost supply in Korea?

Another batch of Koreans returns from virus-hit India

Koreans who flew from India via a chartered flight come out of arrivals' gate inside Incheon International Airport, Friday, as health officials guide them to where they can take coronavirus tests. YonhapThe second group of more than 200 South Koreans returned home Friday from virus-hit India via a special flight and more people are scheduled to arrive here this month.A flight operated by Asiana Airlines landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around 6:22 a.m. with 204 passengers, including one Indian citizen, after departing from Bengaluru, southern India. The flight originally planned to return here with 211 people, but some of them were removed after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. This is the second time this week that a chartered flight transported South Korean citizens from India. On Tuesday, a flight operated by Indian air carrier Vistara arrived here with 172 passengers after departing from Chennai International Airport in southern India.South Korea plans to operate 10 more non-scheduled flights this month to transport South Korean citizens from Ind

May 7, 2021
Another batch of Koreans returns from virus-hit India

When will Korea introduce its own COVID-19 vaccine?

A researcher at SK Bioscience works on potential coronavirus vaccine at the company's manufacturing plant in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, in this undated photo. Courtesy of SK BioscienceBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea is trying to speed up the domestic development of COVID-19 vaccines amid continuous global competition in procurement and concerns over the possible emergence of new virus variants. Even though the government has secured an abundant supply of doses ― via contracts ― from various global pharmaceutical companies, some medical experts say the country should be prepared for other zoonotic diseases in the long term.Oh Myoung-don, head of the country's central clinical committee for emerging diseases control, predicted that the coronavirus could become endemic, like influenza, which requires an annual vaccination program. “We will have to live with the virus. Even if we eradicate COVID-19, the world may encounter COVID-21 or COVID-22 as similar zoonotic diseases originating from animals could reoccur in the future,” Oh said during a press conference organized by the Na

May 7, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
When will Korea introduce its own COVID-19 vaccine?
  • New cases stay in 500s for 2nd day amid woes over variants
  • Will US backing of waiver on vaccine patents boost supply in Korea?

COVID-19 self-test kits available at convenience stores, other locations

A pharmacist at a drugstore in Myeongdong area in Seoul's Jung District shows Humasis' coronavirus self-test kit on May 3 when it was put on shelves there. YonhapCoronavirus self-test kits became available in supermarkets and convenience stores across the country Thursday as South Korea is seeking to step up its testing capacity with no letup of new virus cases in sight. Self-test kits by two local drugmakers ― Humasis and SD Biosensor ― have been sold at local pharmacies after receiving approval for emergency use last month, and they have hit shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores to provide easier access to the public.GS25, a convenience store chain, on Wednesday started sales of test kits by Humasis and SD Biosensor at some of its stores, and its rival 7-Eleven said it will begin sales Friday. E-Mart, the nation's largest discount store chain, said its major outlets in Seoul began to offer Humasis' test kits earlier in the day and will distribute more in other stores.CJ Olive Young, a major health and beauty store chain, said it will sell Humasis' kits starting Friday at o

May 6, 2021
COVID-19 self-test kits available at convenience stores, other locations

Bars in Incheon to reopen next week, defying closure order

/ YonhapHundreds of bars in the western port city of Incheon will reopen their doors next week, defying a government order to shut down during COVID-19, an owners' association said Thursday. Local authorities in the city, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, reimposed a sweeping ban on entertainment establishments, including bars and nightclubs, on April 12 amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases. "We will push ahead with our business from May 10 to eke a living even if it means we may face a fine or business closure," the small bar owners' group said in a news conference. "What scares us more than COVID-19 is livelihood difficulty. We cannot stand it anymore."About 70 people participated in the event in front of the City Hall. They put up wreaths of condolence with a banner that read "Bars sentenced to death by the government.""The government has forced us to close our doors for more than 300 days over the past 15 months, making bars a scapegoat in the name of infection prevention measures," they said. More than 80 percent of about 1,000 entertainment bars in the city will join the reopening

May 6, 2021
Bars in Incheon to reopen next week, defying closure order

People shun vaccination over safety, compensation concerns

A medical worker prepares to COVID-19 vaccine dose at a public health facility in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiA growing number of people are shunning COVID-19 vaccinations here following several reports of serious adverse effects reported.Health experts say the government needs to more actively guarantee compensation or other supports to those experiencing such effects even though no direct correlation between their symptoms and the inoculation has been found, adding this will help encourage people to get vaccinated.Since the nation started inoculation on Feb. 26, 14 people have posted petitions on the Cheong Wa Dae website calling for government help to deal with serious adverse reactions their family members suffered after receiving the vaccinations.Their reported symptoms are mostly neurological, such as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, paralysis of limbs and cerebral hemorrhaging. Such adverse side-effects were reported to have occurred to people after they received the AstraZeneca vaccine.According to a petition posted by the husband of a 45-year-ol

May 6, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
People shun vaccination over safety, compensation concerns

New cases under 600 again on fewer tests; variants in focus amid vaccine rollout

Lotte Department Store's main branch in Seoul's Jung District is shut down on Thursday after customers who recently visited the mall's underground section selling foods have been tested positive to COVID-19. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to the 500s again Thursday as fewer people took virus tests on the Children's Day holiday, but the country's health authorities remained vigilant over cluster infections and spreading variant cases.The country reported 574 more COVID-19 cases, including 562 local infections, raising the total caseload to 125,519, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The daily caseload reached 488 on Monday and 541 on Tuesday but jumped to the 600s on Wednesday. Children's Day fell on Wednesday, and the daily tally is announced the day after.The country added four more deaths, raising the death toll to 1,851, the KDCA said. The country's health authorities are concerned that the more transmissible coronavirus cases are spreading in the southern part of the country.On Wednesday, health authorities advised all employees at mu

May 6, 2021
New cases under 600 again on fewer tests; variants in focus amid vaccine rollout
  • Vaccinated people to be exempted from self-isolation in Korea from Wednesday
  • Concerns mounting over surge in COVID-19 variants

Concerns mounting over surge in COVID-19 variants

Quarantine officials guide entrants from overseas at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Concerns are mounting over a recent surge in cases of COVID-19 variants. This surge poses a risk that possibly more transmissible mutated viruses may become the dominant strains in some regions.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country reported 97 more cases involving new variants as of Tuesday, bringing the total caseload to 632 since the country confirmed its first mutated virus cases from Britain last December. Among the new infections were 75 local transmissions and 22 cases from overseas.Of the total 632 cases, the vast majority, 551, were of the British variant, 71 cases were of the South African variant, and another 10 were of the Brazilian variant. In addition, the health authorities believe that another 867 infections are epidemiologically linked to the new virus strains, although they have not been screened through genome sequencing, meaning that at least 1,499 infections are estimated to involve the variant

May 5, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Concerns mounting over surge in COVID-19 variants
  • Vaccinated people to be exempted from self-isolation in Korea from Wednesday
  • New cases under 600 again on fewer tests; variants in focus amid vaccine rollout

Vaccinated people to be exempted from self-isolation in Korea from Wednesday

gettyimagesbankPeople who have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in South Korea are exempted from the mandatory 14-day isolation starting Wednesday when arriving here from overseas and when having close contact with virus patients.The new rules will be applied only for those who have been fully inoculated in South Korea two weeks after receiving COVID-19 jabs, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).They will still need to receive COVID-19 tests and have no related symptoms to be exempted from the mandatory self-isolation, the authorities added.The mandatory quarantine will also be lifted for vaccinated people who have had close contact with COVID-19 patients.As of April 21, a total of 65,097 had been fully inoculated in South Korea with a two-dose regimen of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine.The KDCA said arrivals from countries grappling with more infectious variant cases, including South Africa and Brazil, are excluded from the exemption.As of Sunday, a total of nine countries ― South Africa, Brazil, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique

May 5, 2021
Vaccinated people to be exempted from self-isolation in Korea from Wednesday
  • New virus cases spike back to 600s
  • Concerns mounting over surge in COVID-19 variants
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