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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.

Public skeptical of November herd immunity goal

Elderly citizens aged 75 or older receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation center in Daegu, Friday. YonhapKorea approves self-testing kitsBy Bahk Eun-jiA majority of Koreans are skeptical of the government's plan to achieve COVID-19 herd immunity by November through vaccination, a survey showed, Friday. The negative prediction mainly stems from the fact that Korea is struggling to secure vaccines amid a worldwide supply shortage, coupled with growing concerns over the possible side effects of the vaccines, such as blood clots. In the survey of 1,009 citizens jointly conducted by four pollsters from Monday to Wednesday, 69 percent of the respondents said they don't think the government's plan to achieve herd immunity by November was feasible, while only 24 percent said they thought it would be possible. Although more than 2 million people have received COVID-19 vaccine shots at least once since inoculations began on Feb. 26, the inoculation rate still falls short of the government's initial plan.The country has signed contracts with foreign pharmaceutical firms for doses fo

Apr 23, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Public skeptical of November herd immunity goal
  • New virus cases on Saturday near 800 for 2nd day on increased cluster infections

Korea approves 2 COVID-19 self-testing kits amid spiking cases

SD Biosensor's COVID-19 self-test kit / YonhapSouth Korea's drug safety agency on Friday granted conditional approval for two types of COVID-19 self-test kits as a supplementary tool to boost its testing capacity amid spiking cases. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said it gave the green light to the test kits, developed by two local biotech firms, SD Biosensor and Humasis, in its first approval for at-home test kits for the coronavirus.The conditional approval will allow the two test kits to be used domestically until fully approved products roll out.The move will permit people to collect samples from their noses on their own, and the results come out within 15-20 minutes.Health authorities said self-test kits should be used as a supplementary tool as their accuracy is low compared with the preemptive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests commonly used here.If the tests turn out to be positive, people should receive PCR tests, according to the agency.The two self-test kits have received the approval for emergency use by foreign countries. They are being used in several E

Apr 23, 2021
Korea approves 2 COVID-19 self-testing kits amid spiking cases
  • New COVID-19 infections nearing 800

New COVID-19 infections nearing 800

A medical worker takes test samples for COVID-19 at a makeshift testing center near Seoul Station in central Seoul, April 22. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new virus cases neared 800 on Friday as growing untraceable cases, coupled with cluster infections, continued to hamper the country's virus fight against the pandemic. The country reported 797 more COVID-19 cases, including 758 local infections, raising the total caseload to 117,458, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The daily caseload has been in the upward trend recently. The daily tally was in the 500s on Monday and Tuesday but jumped to the 700 range with 731 on Wednesday and 735 on Thursday, stoking concerns over another wave of the pandemic here. Untraceable cases accounted for 29 percent of all cases reported in the past two weeks, the highest ever.The country added three more deaths, raising the total to 1,811. The fatality rate was 1.54 percent.South Korea last week decided to maintain the current level of social distancing rules through May 2 to contain the virus, although it placed more restriction

Apr 23, 2021
New COVID-19 infections nearing 800
  • Korea approves 2 COVID-19 self-testing kits amid spiking cases

Calls grow for faster compensation for COVID-19 vaccine side effects

A woman receives a coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca at a hospital in Gangseo District, Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is being asked to speed up state compensation for people who suffer side effects from COVID-19 vaccination in order to ensure that payment for medical treatment does not become a burden for those suffering from them. Under the current compensation system, it may take several months for the health authorities to review any causal link between the vaccine and side effects, during which affected people must receive medical treatment at their own expense.If the health authorities recognize a causal link between the vaccine and the side effects, the government will cover all medical expenses needed for treatment. In the case of death due to vaccination, 430 million won ($388,000) will be provided in compensation and 300,000 won for funeral expenses. A 45-year-old nursing assistant who was inoculated with her first shot of AstraZeneca vaccine on March 12 is currently hospitalized after suffering paralysis in her arms and legs. She was diagnosed with

Apr 22, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Calls grow for faster compensation for COVID-19 vaccine side effects
  • Korea's 'vaccine swap' options may require diplomatic reward

About 2 million, 3.66% of Korea's population, vaccinated

gettyimagesbankSouth Korea has inoculated nearly 2 million people so far as the country ramps up its COVID-19 immunization drive by providing more shots and securing more doses.An accumulated 1,903,767 people were administered with their first shots as of Wednesday as part of the nationwide campaign that kicked off on Feb. 26, accounting for 3.66 percent of the country's 52 million population, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. An accumulated 60,622 people have been fully vaccinated after receiving two doses.Of the total, 1,141,154 people, mostly health care workers and patients at long-term care facilities, received the first jabs of the two-dose vaccine regimen developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University, the KDCA said.Meanwhile, 762,613 people received the first shot of U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.'s two-dose vaccine regimen, the KDCA said. The group mostly includes doctors, nurses and other health professionals treating COVID-19 patients, and elders aged 75 and older.The KDCA noted that an average of 130,0

Apr 22, 2021
About 2 million, 3.66% of Korea's population, vaccinated
  • New virus cases in 700s for 2nd day
  • Korea's 'vaccine swap' options may require diplomatic reward

New virus cases in 700s for 2nd day

A medical worker takes a rest on the chair at a makeshift testing center near Seoul Station in central Seoul, April 21. YonhapSouth Korea reported more than 700 new virus cases for the second straight day on Thursday amid lingering woes over another wave of the pandemic as the country's vaccination campaign gathers pace, with vaccinations set to top 2 million.The country identified 735 more COVID-19 cases, including 715 local infections, raising the total caseload to 116,661, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The figure was the highest since Jan. 7 when the country reported 869 cases. It was also the second straight day that the daily caseload hovered above 700 following 731 cases on Wednesday. The daily tally stayed in the 500s on Monday and Tuesday. The average daily number of cases stayed well above 600 in the past week on rising cluster infections across the nation. The country added two more deaths, raising the death toll to 1,808. The fatality rate was 1.55 percent.Despite the steady upticks, South Korea decided to maintain the current level of social

Apr 22, 2021
New virus cases in 700s for 2nd day
  • US may offer vaccination help to other countries in the future: State Department
  • About 2 million, 3.66% of Korea's population, vaccinated
  • Korea's 'vaccine swap' options may require diplomatic reward

Disabled people left behind in government's COVID-19 support measures

Civic groups representing people with disabilities call for the eradication of discrimination against disabled people during a rally near the Ministry of Health and Welfare building in Sejong, Tuesday. The event was organized to mark the Day of the Disabled People in Korea which falls on April 20. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on vulnerable groups in society, and exposed Korea's ill-prepared support network for the disabled population in case of national disasters and infectious disease outbreaks. During the early stages of the pandemic, disabled people experienced limited access to face masks and COVID-19-related information due insufficient communication platforms, as well as medical services. Also, for people with severe physical disabilities, the mandatory self-isolation rule came as a challenge.A man surnamed Kim, 37, who was only able to use his left arm due to his physical disability, had to endure his self-isolation period without any help from others. Kim, who lived alone in Daegu, was put under 14 days of self-isolation after he came int

Apr 22, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Disabled people left behind in government's COVID-19 support measures

Inconsistent vaccine policies undermine public trust

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong speaks during a forum hosted by the Kwankun Club in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooAmid mounting concerns over a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine, the government's ill-advised handling of its already-delayed rollout plan is angering the people who are anxious about recent infection surges. Different government departments and officials are making inconsistent comments about vaccine procurement, making people losing trust in the administration's policies. Since the country began its vaccination campaign, Feb. 26, a mere 3.41 percent of its 52 million population have received shots although the government boasted of having secured enough vaccines to inoculate 79 million peopleIn the wake of the vaccine procurement woes, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong unexpectedly disclosed Tuesday that Korea was in discussions with the United States about forging a swap deal.“Vaccine cooperation between the two countries is taking place in a multilayered manner through various levels,” Chung told lawmakers during a National Assembly session, adding tha

Apr 21, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Inconsistent vaccine policies undermine public trust
  • New virus cases back to over 700
  • Assembly speaker seeks European Parliament's help in vaccine supply

Underage smoking, drinking rates lower amid pandemic

By Bahk Eun-jiThe number of underage smokers and drinkers in Korea dropped significantly last year compared to the previous year, recent data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) showed. Cigarettes on display at a convenience store in Seoul in this Jan. 4, 2018 photo. YonhapThe KDCA suggests this was a result of the decreased number of days where children attend school and reduced activities with peers amid the COVID-19 outbreak.According to KDCA data, the incidence of middle and high schoolers who had smoked stood at 4.4 percent last year, down from 6.7 percent a year earlier, and it was the lowest since the data was first collected and released in 2005.The figures represent the percentage of students who smoked at least one cigarette in the 30 days prior to the survey. The KDCA surveyed 54,948 students from 800 middle and high schools nationwide.By gender among all survey participants, the smoking rate among male students was 6 percent, down from 9.3 percent a year before, and that of female students stood at 2.7 percent, down from 3.8 percent in 2019.The und

Apr 21, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Underage smoking, drinking rates lower amid pandemic

New virus cases back to over 700

A medical worker takes test samples for COVID-19 at a makeshift testing center near Seoul Station in central Seoul, April 15. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 700 Wednesday as the country is teetering on the brink of facing another wave of the pandemic.The country reported 731 more COVID-19 cases, including 692 local infections, raising the total caseload to 115,926, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Wednesday's daily caseload was sharply up from 532 cases on Monday and 549 cases on Tuesday. It is also the first time since last Wednesday that the daily tally has surpassed 700. The average daily number of cases hovered above 600 in the past week on rising cluster infections across the nation as people increased their activities in spring, stoking concerns of another wave of the pandemic. The country added four more deaths, raising the death toll to 1,806. The fatality rate was 1.56 percent. South Korea decided to maintain the current level of social distancing rules through May 2 to contain the virus, while placing more res

Apr 21, 2021
New virus cases back to over 700
  • US keeps travel advisory on Korea at Level 2
  • US declines to comment on possible vaccine swap with Korea
  • FM Chung hopes US will help Korea with 'vaccine difficulties'
  • Inconsistent vaccine policies undermine public trust
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