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New virus cases in 500s for 5th day as gov't announces eased restrictions

The government eased some restrictions on previously shuttered or scaled back businesses while maintaining its current social distancing measures as the number of new COVID-19 cases in the 500s for the fifth consecutive day, Friday. YonhapThe government eased some restrictions on previously shuttered or scaled back businesses while maintaining its current social distancing measures as the number of new COVID-19 cases in the 500s for the fifth consecutive day, Friday.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country added 580 more coronavirus infections, including 547 local ones, raising the total caseload to 71,820. The daily total marked a slight jump from 513 posted a day earlier.Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced Saturday that the government will extend its current social distancing level for two weeks from Monday but ease business restrictions on cafes, gyms and certain other indoor facilities.Under the new measures, the capital area will continue to enforce Level 2.5, the second highest in a five-tier system, and the rest of the nation will re

Jan 16, 2021
New virus cases in 500s for 5th day as gov't announces eased restrictions

Korea eases restrictions on cafes, gyms

The government extended its current social distancing level for two more weeks Saturday, while easing restrictions on some businesses including cafes, gyms and other indoor facilities. "We debated seriously between the opinion that we should quickly restore everyday life by further tightening antivirus measures and the opinion that we can no longer neglect the suffering of small businesses," said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. YonhapThe government extended its current social distancing level for two more weeks Saturday, while easing restrictions on some businesses including cafes, gyms and other indoor facilities.The capital area will continue to enforce Level 2.5 measures, the second highest in a five-tier system, and the rest of the country will remain under Level 2.The ban on private gatherings of five or more people, and the restriction on business operations after 9 p.m., will also be kept intact.Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said these measures helped curb infections in recent weeks."We debated seriously between the opinion that we should quickly restore everyday life by furthe

Jan 16, 2021
Korea eases restrictions on cafes, gyms

Unnecessary random testing causes burden for quarantine work

Public servants of Gyeonggi Provincial Government and its affiliates line up for coronavirus tests at a makeshift testing center set up at the provincial government building compound in Suwon, Wednesday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiAs the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic drags on, more and more local governments, institutions and companies are urging residents and employees to get tested.Although the move is aimed at preventing the spread of infection in advance, some point out that it is inefficient to conduct random tests for all residents or all workers regardless of whether they have been in contact with the virus. It is also a concern that mass testing will increase the workload for quarantine workers and waste administrative costs.Seocho District Office in Seoul has been offering free tests for its 430,000 residents since Dec. 29. As of Friday, about 50,000 residents have been tested, and another 50,000 people who come to Seocho regularly for work also received tests.The Seoul Metropolitan Government and quarantine authorities showed a negative response to the district office's mass tes

Jan 15, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Unnecessary random testing causes burden for quarantine work

New virus cases in 500s for 4th day

A woman wearing a face mask walks near a public facilities area which is taped off for the social distancing measures and a precaution against the coronavirus in Seoul, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. APThe number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 500s for the fourth consecutive day Friday, in a sign that the third wave of the pandemic has slowed down following a peak on the back of monthlong tougher virus curbs. The country added 513 more COVID-19 cases, including 484 local infections, raising the total caseload to 71,241, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Friday's daily number marked a slight drop from 524 posted a day earlier, the KDCA said.The country's new virus cases reached a peak of 1,241 on Dec. 25, and daily figures had continued to breach the 1,000 threshold multiple times. To cope with the soaring number of COVID-19 cases, health authorities have adopted the so-called Level 2.5 social distancing scheme, the second highest in the country's five-tier scheme, in the greater Seoul area since Dec. 8. An average of 555 COVID-19 pat

Jan 15, 2021
New virus cases in 500s for 4th day

Why Celltrion's 'COVID treatments' unlikely be 'game changer'

Graphics by Bae So-young By Nam Hyun-wooCelltrion has revealed positive Phase 2 clinical trial results for its COVID-19 treatment Regkirona, also known as CT-P59, raising expectations that the firm will get conditional approval for its use here as early as this month.The treatment is anticipated to be a new addition to the arsenal of drugs that can be used to fight the coronavirus in and outside Korea, but experts and analysts said Regkirona and other COIVID-19 treatments will not likely be game changers as they will play a limited role in preventing patients with mild to moderate symptoms from progressing to severe stages of the disease. They stressed that reaching herd immunity, a level large enough so that the overall population is protected, requires vaccination, the most feasible way of seeing a turnaround in the pandemic, but Korea appears to have missed out in the timing to develop its own COVID-19 vaccines.Celltrion announced the Phase 2 trial results of Reg

Jan 15, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Why Celltrion's 'COVID treatments' unlikely be 'game changer'

Why do most Koreans want to avoid getting vaccinated first?

Seven in 10 Korean residents want to wait and see the development of the situation before getting vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a survey unveiled Thursday by Seoul National University. / gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government is speeding up efforts to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines with the hope that widespread vaccination will be a game changer in its fight against the prolonged pandemic, but a majority of citizens are taking a cautious attitude amid concerns over the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.What is adding to the concerns is the emergence of new strains of COVID-19, which are believed to be more transmissible than older variants.Jin Yoon-joo, who works for a Seoul-based trading company, said Thursday that her worries have deepened after she watched the news and learned that a doctor in the United States died 16 days after receiving Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.“Before this, I had already read several articles about the side effects of the vaccines reported in the United Kingdom. I don't think anyone can guarantee the safety of these vaccines that

Jan 14, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Why do most Koreans want to avoid getting vaccinated first?

COVID-19 survivors suffer hair loss, shortness of breath after recovery: survey

GettyimagesbankSurvivors of COVID-19 reported hair loss and decreased breathing capacity months after their infections, and some had lingering lung troubles, the health authority said Thursday.A survey on 40 adult patients who were hospitalized for the virus infection showed that hair loss and shortness of breath during exercise were the most common symptoms experienced three months after recovery, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Six months after infection, the discharged patients were troubled with fatigue, the KDCA said. Chest CTs of some patients showed lingering troubles in their lungs three months after virus infection, but most of the symptoms slowly subsided six months after. However, some patients had pulmonary fibrosis in their lung tissues, it noted. In terms of psychological side effects, the survivors reported depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it added. (Yonhap)

Jan 14, 2021
COVID-19 survivors suffer hair loss, shortness of breath after recovery: survey

New virus cases in 500s for 3rd day in sign of letup in infections

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus clear snow at the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. APThe number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 500s for the third consecutive day Thursday, in yet another sign that the third wave of the pandemic has passed a peak on the back of tighter virus restrictions.The country added 524 more COVID-19 cases, including 496 local infections, raising the total caseload to 70,728, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).It marked a slight drop from 562 posted Wednesday.The country, touted as one of the most successful nations in containing the spread of the virus, has suffered from sporadic cluster infections across the country over the past weeks.The country's new virus cases reached a peak of 1,241 on Dec. 25, and daily figures had continued to breach the 1,000 threshold multiple times. To cope with the soaring number of COVID-19 cases, health authorities have adopted the so-called Level 2.5 social distancing scheme, the second highest in the country's five-tier

Jan 14, 2021
New virus cases in 500s for 3rd day in sign of letup in infections

Poll shows only 28% of Koreans want to get vaccinated for COVID-19 immediately

GettyimagesbankNearly two-thirds of South Koreans think they will wait to see how the coronavirus vaccine is working for other people before getting the jab, a poll showed Thursday.A survey of 1,094 adult Koreans across the nation, taken by Seoul National University, showed 67.7 percent of respondents taking a wait-and-see attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination.Only 28.6 percent of them replied that they want to get vaccinated as soon as possible.The findings also showed 42 percent of the surveyed predicting coronavirus vaccines to be commercialized in the middle of the year.An additional 35.4 percent picked the end of this year as the commercialization point, with 11.2 percent saying those vaccines will be commercialized next year or thereafter.Slightly over 32 percent of those polled said they don't trust coronavirus vaccines.About 80 percent also replied that they will surely or probably take COVID-19 vaccines in the future, with a mere 1.8 percent saying they will never get the jab.The poll comes as the government is seeking to get more than 60 percent of the country's 51-million p

Jan 14, 2021
Poll shows only 28% of Koreans want to get vaccinated for COVID-19 immediately

Samsung Biologics eyes 'multidimensional expansion' for next decade

Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim delivers a presentation at the J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference, Wednesday. Courtesy of Samsung BiologicsLG Chem unveils pipeline of 40 novel drugs at J.P. Morgan conferenceBy Nam Hyun-wooSamsung Biologics' new CEO John Rim said the company will pursue multidimensional expansion in the biopharmaceutical industry, ranging from its existing contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business to developing proprietary new drugs.Rim made the remarks at the 2021 J. P. Morgan Health Care Conference which was held online. Samsung Biologics appeared as a main track presenter at the conference for the fifth-consecutive year. The main track is reserved for globally renowned healthcare firms, while the emerging markets track focuses on promising firms. “Our next decade will be marked by increased business expansion and portfolio diversification,” Rim said. “While continuing to achieve best-in-class CDMO services and become a champion in the biosimilar business, we will also lay the groundwork for novel drug development, to ultim

Jan 13, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung Biologics eyes 'multidimensional expansion' for next decade
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