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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 infections under 1,000 for 2nd day amid extended tighter distancing rules

Main entrance to Hyojeong Sanitarium in Gwangju on Sunday is closed behind a large banner that reads “all entries restricted due to COVID-19.” Seven employees and 53 inpatients in the hospital tested positive to the disease earlier the day. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 1,000 for the second day in a row Sunday, largely due to less testing on the New Year's Day holiday, as health authorities kept tight vigilance with the extension of the current social distancing rules.The country added 657 more COVID-19 cases, including 641 local infections, raising the total caseload to 63,244, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Daily infections fell from 824 cases a day earlier. Over the past seven days, the nation's daily virus cases have hovered around 1,000.Twenty people died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 962.On Saturday, health authorities extended the current Level 2.5 distancing measures ― the second highest in the five-tier scheme ― for the greater Seoul area and Level 2 for the rest o

Jan 3, 2021
New infections under 1,000 for 2nd day amid extended tighter distancing rules
  • Will COVID-19 pandemic die down with vaccine rollout?
  • 121 more COVID-19 cases reported at Seoul prison

Justice minister vows to reduce overcrowding at detention center after mass COVID-19 outbreak

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae / YonhapJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Saturday apologized again for a mass coronavirus outbreak at a detention center in Seoul, saying the country will prioritize resolving overcrowding of inmates at the facility.Choo has been under fire for belatedly responding to COVID-19 infections at Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul, where 958 virus cases, including 916 detainees, have been confirmed."With priority being placed on reducing overcrowding at the facility, we will transfer inmates who test negative for the virus to other correctional centers, following the fifth round of full-scale testing," Choo said in a social media post.She said the government will allow every inmate who has come in close contact with virus patients to stay in a one-person cell to prevent further spread of the virus."I feel sorry again for the outbreak of cluster infections at the detention center," Choo said. She had apologized on social media the previous day.Critics say she has failed to react quickly to the mass outbreak at an early stage, as she has been too preoccup

Jan 2, 2021
Justice minister vows to reduce overcrowding at detention center after mass COVID-19 outbreak
  • New virus cases fall below 900; gov't extends current social distancing scheme

New virus cases fall below 900; gov't extends current social distancing scheme

A medical worker wearing protective gear warms her hands in the sub-zero temperatures at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. AP Daily new COVID-19 infections here fell below 900 for Friday, however, analysts note that this could be largely due to less testing done over the New Year holiday. Meanwhile the health authorities are expected to extend the duration of current social distancing regulations. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it had detected 824 more coronavirus cases, including 788 local ones, raising the total caseload to 62,593. It also reported 25 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the toll to 942. The drop in new cases appears attributable to the less testing ― on Friday, 53,540 people took COVID-19 tests, compared with 101,176, Thursday.The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters decided to extend the current Level 2.5 distancing measures ― the second highest in the five-tier system ― for the greater Seoul area and Level 2 for the rest of the country until Jan. 17.The government also decided to app

Jan 2, 2021
New virus cases fall below 900; gov't extends current social distancing scheme
  • Justice minister vows to reduce overcrowding at detention center after mass COVID-19 outbreak

Will COVID-19 pandemic die down with vaccine rollout?

A medical worker warms herself under an electric heater at a makeshift clinic for coronavirus testing in front of Seoul Station, Thursday, amid a cold snap hitting the country. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiWith mass vaccinations beginning around the world, people are wondering if the end of the prolonged pandemic is in sight.Likewise, many Koreans are pinning high hopes on the government's series of vaccine rollout plans but experts expect it will take quite a while for vaccinations to bring the coronavirus completely under control. Moderna, the U.S. biotech company, confirmed Thursday that it signed a deal with the Korean government to provide 40 million doses of its vaccine.“It is highly likely that the pandemic will continue into the second half,” said Choi Won-seok, a professor of the division of infectious diseases at Korea University. “I don't think the pandemic will end overnight as the virus is too contagious and is well adapted to human hosts. In addition, animals

Jan 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Will COVID-19 pandemic die down with vaccine rollout?
  • New infections under 1,000 for 2nd day amid extended tighter distancing rules

GC Pharma mentioned as Moderna's Korean manufacturing partner

Immunization coordinator Laurie Cohen, unseen, holds a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in the Community Health Services building in Aspen, Colo., Dec. 23. AP-YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooKorean drug makers GC Pharma, Hanmi Pharmaceutical and ST Pharm are emerging as potential contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine thanks to the firms' capability to produce mRNA vaccines, according to industry officials, Friday.Moderna confirmed recently that it will supply 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the Korean government starting in May. Moderna said late Thursday it will work with regulators here to secure approval to distribute the vaccine in Korea, after already receiving approval for emergency use in the United States and Canada.“We thank the?Republic of Korea for partnering with us to bring the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to?South Korea,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel was quoted as saying in a company release.Moderna is suspected to have selected GC Pharma as its CMO partner, according to industry officials. Citing an unnamed “high-ra

Jan 1, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
GC Pharma mentioned as Moderna's Korean manufacturing partner
  • Moderna to begin delivering COVID-19 vaccine to Korea in May

Moderna to begin delivering COVID-19 vaccine to Korea in May

Boxes containing vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine sit in a refrigerator at Augusta University in Augusta, Ga., Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. APU.S. biotech company Moderna has said it will begin delivering its coronavirus vaccine to South Korea in May.The company made the announcement Thursday (U.S. time) while confirming an agreement struck with South Korea's government to provide 40 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine."Under the terms of the proposed agreement, deliveries would begin in May 2021," the company said in a statement. "The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is not currently approved for use in South Korea, and the company will work with regulators to pursue the necessary approvals prior to distribution."Following the deal, the total amount of COVID-19 vaccines South Korea has secured is enough to inoculate 56 million people, more than enough to cover the country's population of 52 million, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The official contract was closed three days after President Moon Jae-in and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel reached an

Jan 1, 2021
Moderna to begin delivering COVID-19 vaccine to Korea in May
  • GC Pharma mentioned as Moderna's Korean manufacturing partner

Korea to require all foreigners to test negative for COVID-19 before arrival

A medical worker wearing protective gear prepares to take samples at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. APSouth Korea will require foreigners to test negative for the novel coronavirus before arrival, starting at airports next week, as the nation steps up its fight against the pandemic amid a winter wave of the virus, officials said Friday.Foreign arrivals must have a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coronavirus test taken within 72 hours before their departure to South Korea, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The rule for foreigners arriving at South Korean airports will go into effect next Friday, while it will be implemented at South Korean ports for passenger ships on Jan. 15. South Korea's daily virus infections has been hovering around 1,000, due mainly to mass cluster infections from churches, private gatherings and a correctional facility.Adding woes to the nation's battle against the pandemic, the country has reported five cases of a new coronavirus variant first reported in Britain.South Korea has halted a

Jan 1, 2021
Korea to require all foreigners to test negative for COVID-19 before arrival
  • New virus cases rise above 1,000 again

New virus cases rise above 1,000 again

Visitors wearing face masks walk near a New Year banner at a shopping district in Seoul, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. APSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose above 1,000 again Friday as health authorities are expected to extend the current social distancing rules amid no signs of the winter wave of the virus abating.The country added 1,029 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,004 local infections, raising the total caseload to 61,769, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The tally marked a rise from 967 cases Thursday, 1,050 cases Wednesday, 1,045 cases Tuesday and 807 cases Monday. Over the past seven days, the nation's daily virus cases have hovered around 1,000. Seventeen people died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 917.Despite the winter wave of the virus, health authorities have shied away from raising the country's social distancing guidelines to Level 3, the highest in its five-tier scheme. Instead of applying measures that would deal a severe blow to millions of small merchants, health authorities have deployed "tar

Jan 1, 2021
New virus cases rise above 1,000 again
  • Korea to require all foreigners to test negative for COVID-19 before arrival

South Korea signs deal with Moderna to buy COVID-19 vaccines for 20 million

Jung Eun-kyeong, commissioner of Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, speaks during a press briefing at KDCA on Thursday. / YonhapSouth Korea on Thursday signed a deal with U.S. biotech company Moderna to buy new coronavirus vaccine doses for 20 million people, with the supply to begin in the second quarter of next year, health authorities said.Following the deal, the total amount of COVID-19 vaccines South Korea has secured is enough to inoculate 56 million people, more than enough to cover the country's population of 52 million, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The official contract was closed three days after President Moon Jae-in and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel reached an agreement via videoconference on Monday.The amount is double the quantity the government had initially sought to secure from the American biotech firm through negotiations, and the provision date has also been moved up from the earlier expected third quarter. South Korea has signed deals to buy vaccines for 10 million people from AstraZeneca, 6 million from Johnson John

Dec 31, 2020
South Korea signs deal with Moderna to buy COVID-19 vaccines for 20 million
  • Fight against coronavirus getting complicated

Fight against coronavirus getting complicated

An inmate holds up a message through a window at Dongbu Detention Center in Seoul, Tuesday, to communicate to media personnel outside about the COVID-19 infection situation there. In the message, the inmate complains that eight infected patients are confined in one cell and sending out mail has been banned. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe health authorities are on high alert as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic here has been spreading in increasingly complex patterns. There have been mass infections in geriatric hospitals and a correctional facility, while cases of a mutant strain originating from the United Kingdom that is 1.7 times more transmissible, have been confirmed in Korea, adding to the woes the government is facing in its antivirus fight.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Thursday, 967 new COVID-19 infections were reported for Wednesday, including 940 local cases, raising the total caseload to 60,740. The country's total virus caseload broke the 60,000 mark the same day, 11 months after the first case was reported Jan. 20. It has taken just

Dec 31, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Fight against coronavirus getting complicated
  • Rewards for reporting banned gatherings draws mixed reactions
  • South Korea signs deal with Moderna to buy COVID-19 vaccines for 20 million
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