my timesThe Korea Times
South KoreaHealth

Health

Virus cases top 30,000 in 10 months, tough battle in store amid resurgence

Imperial guards wearing face masks stand outside the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. APSouth Korea's total virus caseload topped 30,000 on Friday, 10 months after its first confirmed case in late January, and its virus fight is facing another potential wave of outbreaks amid the nearing winter season.The country reported 363 new COVID-19 cases Friday, including 320 local infections, raising the total to 30,017, according to health authorities. It marked the third straight day that daily virus cases rose by over 300.Since the first case was reported on Jan. 20, the total number of fatalities reached 501.Without imposing stringent lockdowns, South Korea has well flattened the virus curve through swift and mass testing, though it suffered the first and second waves of the virus outbreak in February-March and August-September, respectively.But the country's virus fight stands again at a critical juncture as daily infections rebounded above 300 this week due to sporadic cluster infections from medical and public facilities, as well as private gatherings.The country fac

Nov 20, 2020
Virus cases top 30,000 in 10 months, tough battle in store amid resurgence

Court rules against state health insurer in damages suit against big tobacco companies

GettyimagesbankA Seoul court handed down a ruling Friday against the state health insurer in its smoking-related damages suit with three major tobacco companies, citing no direct "legal" links between its increased financial burden and their businesses.The Seoul Central District Court rejected the compensation request filed by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) against KTG Corp., a leading South Korean cigarette producer with about a 63 percent market share, and the local units of two foreign companies -- British American Tobacco and Philip Morris.The court said the agency's insurance spending represents the use of funds under a relevant law and is not attributable to any illicit acts by the defendants.It added that it's hard to acknowledge direct connections between the insurer's expenditures and the tobacco firms' businesses.The court also said the possibility can't be ruled out that diseases are caused by such other factors as individual lifestyle, genetic and job-related characteristics, rather than smoking.The ruling came more than six years after the NHIS sued the thr

Nov 20, 2020
Court rules against state health insurer in damages suit against big tobacco companies

PM asks public to avoid social gatherings amid coronavirus spread

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a meeting at the government complex in Seoul, Friday. YonhapPrime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday asked the public to refrain from holding year-end social gatherings and nonessential outdoor activities, as South Korea braces for another potential wave of the pandemic, with rising sporadic cluster infections in a number of parts of the nation.In a televised statement, he said the country's antivirus fight is "facing a crisis."He appealed to the people to "refrain from holding any scheduled year-end gatherings as much as possible and stay at home if not for essential activities," Chung said.In particular, he asked those in their 60s and older to "minimize unnecessary outings and meetings" during the winter season.Chung's comments came as South Korea was grappling with a new wave of sporadic COVID-19 cluster infections across the nation, with new daily reported cases hovering above 300 for three straight days.To prevent another wave of virus infections, the country decided to enforce tightened virus prevention measures Thursday for the next

Nov 20, 2020
PM asks public to avoid social gatherings amid coronavirus spread

New virus cases over 300 for 3rd day; virus fight at crossroads

An Imperial guard wearing a face mask stands outside the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. APThe number of daily new coronavirus cases in South Korea hovered above 300 for a third straight day Friday due largely to cluster infections from private gatherings and medical and public facilities as the country braces for another potential wave of the pandemic.The country added 363 more COVID-19 cases, including 320 local infections, raising the total caseload to 30,017, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The total caseload topped the 30,000 mark, 80 days after the tally surpassed 20,000 on Sept. 1. The country reported its first case on Jan. 20. The daily caseload has stayed in the triple digits since Nov. 8, with the figure exceeding 300 for the first time since late August on Wednesday with 313 cases. The country confirmed 343 cases on Thursday. Cluster infections from private gatherings, public facilities and hospitals continued to occur sporadically across the nation, dragging down health authorities' containment efforts. To prevent a

Nov 20, 2020
New virus cases over 300 for 3rd day; virus fight at crossroads

Pfizer/BioNTech to seek emergency vaccine approval in US Friday

Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken Oct. 31, 2020. ReutersAn emergency use authorization request for the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was expected to be filed with the FDA Friday, the US government and BioNTech's co-founder said.This type of authorization is temporary or conditional and is granted in response to an emergency situation such as a pandemic ― and may be revoked or modified if new efficacy or safety data emerge later."Pfizer's partner BioNTech has announced that tomorrow, they intend to file for emergency use authorization at the FDA," health secretary Alex Azar told a press conference Thursday in Washington, referring to the Food and Drug Administration.BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin earlier told AFP in a Zoom interview: "The documents will be finalized today and tomorrow and submitted to the FDA."The FDA did not say how long it would take to review the data on vaccine efficacy and safety, the two main criteria. Th

Nov 20, 2020
Pfizer/BioNTech to seek emergency vaccine approval in US Friday

Fauci says Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine data is 'solid'

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a briefing with the coronavirus task force at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. APThe United States' top infectious disease official said Thursday that two coronavirus vaccines being tested were "solid," and that the speed at which they were developed has not compromised safety or integrity.Anthony Fauci spoke at a rare briefing from the White House virus task force to reassure some public concerns about the two vaccines ― one from Pfizer/BioNTech and the other by Moderna ― after both companies announced successful trials."The process of the speed did not compromise at all safety nor did it compromise scientific integrity. It was a reflection of the extraordinary scientific advances in these types of vaccines which allowed us to do things in months that actually took years before," he said.And he sought to address fears that the vaccine announcements may have been politically driven. "It was actually an independent body of people who have no allegiance to anyone ―

Nov 20, 2020
Fauci says Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine data is 'solid'

Concerns over virus infection growing among CSAT takers

Quarantine officials disinfect a study cafe in Gwangju, Thursday, as the government launched a two-week special disease control campaign aimed at creating a safe environment for college entrance exam takers. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiParents and students show growing anxiety over the recent surge in COVID-19 cases as the state-run college entrance exam is only two weeks away. The government launched a special quarantine period, Thursday, for two weeks until the date of College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), scheduled for Dec. 3, to reduce the possibility of virus infections among the 493,000 students who will take the test. The measure came as the number of COVID-19 infections has been rising recently and the nation adopted strengthened social distancing regulations in Seoul and some other parts of the country.But the key question is whether the stricter distancing rules and the special quarantine measures will have any effect within two weeks. Recently, on a number of the internet community and social media channels, high school seniors have shown their anxiety over the recent increasing

Nov 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Concerns over virus infection growing among CSAT takers

107 suspected flu shot deaths reported in Korea

GettyimagesbankSouth Korea's health agency said Thursday that a total of 107 people, most of whom were elderly, died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines. The deaths had stoked public anxiety over the safety of such vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 106 of those deaths have very limited relation with the flu shots. The remaining case is under investigation.Of the total, 48 people were aged over 80, followed by 40 in their 70s, 10 under 60 and nine in their 60s, the KDCA said.The health authorities have repeatedly said they have found no direct link between flu shots and deaths, urging people to get flu vaccinations before the onset of winter amid the coronavirus pandemic. Public anxiety has heightened over the safety of flu vaccines after some vaccine bottles ― part of the country's free inoculation program ― were exposed to room temperature during distribution. The authorities, however, said there was no safety issue.So far, more than 13.05 million South Koreans have received free state flu shots, out of about 19 million people, or 66.7 perce

Nov 19, 2020
107 suspected flu shot deaths reported in Korea

Korea reports 5th case of highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu

GettyimagesbankSouth Korea's agriculture ministry said Thursday it has confirmed another case of highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu in wild bird droppings, raising concerns over the disease's possible spread to poultry farms.It marked the fifth outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza this year. The latest outbreak in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, came just five days after a fourth case broke out in the same area, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The government banned the entry of people and vehicles within a 500-meter radius of the location where the fifth outbreak was reported. A transportation ban was issued on farms within a 10-kilometer range as well.South Korea has raised its guard against the disease since late October, when it found the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu near a creek in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul. It was the first avian influenza case in the country in 32 months.Highly pathogenic AI is very contagious and can cause severe illness and even death in poultry. (Yonhap)

Nov 19, 2020
Korea reports 5th case of highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu
previous page
293294295296297
next page

Most Read in South Korea