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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.

Health minister gets flu shot to calm public concern

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo, left, gets a flu shot at a hospital in Sejong, Tuesday, as part of efforts to demonstrate the safety of the vaccinations administered under a free state-led program. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiHealth Minister Park Neung-hoo received a seasonal influenza vaccination Tuesday in an effort to calm down public anxiety over its safety, according to his ministry. Park, who was born in 1956, is included in a list of recipients for the government's free seasonal flu vaccinations for the elderly aged 62 and older which began Monday.Park is the second minister to receive a shot, following Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun who was administered the flu vaccine at a community health center in Sejong, Oct. 21, in accordance with the vaccination schedule for those aged 70 or older that began Oct. 19. Jeong Eun-kyung, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), who was born in 1965, is not eligible for the free program.Park reiterated the importance of vaccination against the seasonal flu again during a regular briefing at the Central Disaster and Safe

Oct 27, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Health minister gets flu shot to calm public concern

INTERVIEW 'Korea's mortality, morbidity will rise without drastic food system reform'

Lawrence Haddad, executive director of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, warns that the world's food systems threaten people with malnutrition. Courtesy of Lawrence HaddadBy Ko Dong-hwanFor Lawrence Haddad, a global activist promoting nutritious foods for all, the increased risk of high fasting plasma glucose in South Korea means a broader highway to higher mortality and morbidity burdens. The risk, among the country's top 10 factors behind the most local death and disability, jumped from third in 2009 to second in 2019.“This is due to high consumption of added sugar, probably by adolescents who are departing from the South Korean traditional, very healthy diet,” Haddad, executive director of Geneva-based non-profit foundation Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), told The Korea Times.His alarming forecast was also based on another fact that five of the top 10 fatal factors were related to diet ― dietary risks (No. 4), high blood pressure (No. 5), high body-mass index (No. 6) and high low-density lipoprotein, or LDL (No. 9). Those factors were found and ran

Oct 27, 2020By Ko Dong-hwan
[INTERVIEW] 'Korea's mortality, morbidity will rise without drastic food system reform'

New virus cases fall back below 100

Visitors wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus, walk at a park in Seoul, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. APSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 100 again Tuesday, but concerns over a potential spike in infections still linger over sporadic cluster infections at risk-prone facilities, such as hospitals and nursing homes.The country added 88 more COVID-19 cases, including 72 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 26,043, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest increase marks a sharp drop from 119 reported Monday but a rise from 61 posted Sunday.Group infections from hospitals and nursing homes were largely to blame for the latest uptick.Heath authorities still believe the COVID-19 pandemic is at a manageable level in the country since it eased the social distancing scheme to the lowest level on Oct. 12, which allowed South Koreans to resume most of their daily activities while following basic guidelines.Previously, indoor gatherings of 50 or more people were banned, which disrupted operations of shops

Oct 27, 2020
New virus cases fall back below 100

New virus cases bounce back to over 100 on multiple infection clusters

People wait to receive flu shots at a medical center in Seoul, Monday, with free vaccinations available to people between the ages of 62 to 69. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe country's daily new COVID-19 cases has bounced back to three digits as sporadic infection clusters have emerged especially in the Seoul metropolitan area, the health authorities said Monday.Recently in Seoul and its surrounding areas, there has been an increasing trend of group infections reported at elderly care hospitals and facilities, rehabilitation centers, family gatherings, and private ballet academies, at which people are vulnerable to the disease.In particular, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is on edge as the number of hikers going on picnics has increased in the wake of the fall foliage season. A possible transmission among clubbers on Halloween this weekend is also a concern as the country suffered major outbreaks of infection clusters at clubs in Itaewon and Shinchon, two nightlife districts in Seoul. Nearly 300 cases were traced to the group infections. According to the KDCA, the na

Oct 26, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
New virus cases bounce back to over 100 on multiple infection clusters

Gov't continues flu vaccinations despite 59 suspected deaths

GettyimagesbankSouth Korea's health authorities said Monday they will continue a nationwide flu vaccination program, citing no direct links between flu shots and deaths. So far, a total of 59 people, mostly elderly people in their 70s and 80s, have died after getting flu shots, up from 48 last Saturday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement. An investigation showed that 46 deaths were believed to have no link to flu shots, the KDCA said, adding it has conducted a probe into the remaining 13 deaths. Of the total 59 deaths, no case has been related to anaphylaxis shock, a serious allergic reaction that follows immunization, according to the KDCA.The health authorities, however, said they are closely monitoring any possible links between vaccines and deaths, given that a total of 1,231 people had reported side effects as of Sunday after getting the shots this year.The authorities said they will continue to work with experts to find out what exactly caused the deaths of people who received the flu shots.Public anxiety over the safety of flu vaccines h

Oct 26, 2020
Gov't continues flu vaccinations despite 59 suspected deaths
  • Singapore temporarily halts use of two flu vaccines after deaths in Korea

Genome & Company to attend BIO-Europe 2020

By Nam Hyun-wooGenome & Company CEO Pae Ji-sooGenome & Company will attend BIO-Europe 2020 to strengthen its network with global drug makers, the biotech firm said Monday.According to the company, it will attend the event and have partnering meetings with more than 10 global drug makers from Europe, Asia and North America. BIO-Europe is one of the largest events in the biotechnology industry, and more than 50 multinational drug makers attend every year to look for new partners and sign licensing deals for candidate drugs. The annual event has been taking place since 1995 and this year's edition will be held online from Oct. 26 to 29 (European Standard Time) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the event, Genome & Company will showcase its pipeline technology for immune checkpoint inhibitors. Immune checkpoints differentiate between cancer cells and normal ones so the immune system can attack only the former and is prevented from destroying healthy cells. Cancer cells, however, sometimes target these checkpoints to avoid being attacked by the immune system, thus immune che

Oct 26, 2020By Nam Hyun-woo
Genome & Company to attend BIO-Europe 2020

Singapore temporarily halts use of two flu vaccines after deaths in Korea

GettyimagesbankSingapore has temporarily halted the use of two influenza vaccines as a precaution after some people who received them in South Korea died, becoming among the first countries to publicly announce a halt of the vaccines' usage.South Korea reported that 48 have died as of Saturday after getting flu shots, but said it would carry on with the state-run vaccination programme as they found no direct link between the deaths and the shots.No deaths associated with influenza vaccination have been reported in Singapore to date, but the decision to halt the use of SKYCellflu Quadrivalent and VaxigripTetra was precautionary, the health ministry and the Health Sciences Authority (HAS) said in a statement late on Sunday.The HSA is in touch with the South Korean authorities for further information as they investigate to determine if the deaths are related to influenza vaccinations.SKYCellflu Quadrivalent is manufactured by South Korea's SK Bioscience and locally distributed by AJ Biologics, while VaxigripTetra is manufactured by Sanofi and locally distributed by Sanofi Aventis.Two ot

Oct 26, 2020
Singapore temporarily halts use of two flu vaccines after deaths in Korea
  • Gov't continues flu vaccinations despite 59 suspected deaths

WHO chief warns against 'vaccine nationalism'

A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken on April 10, 2020. ReutersThe head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday called for global solidarity in the rollout of any future coronavirus vaccine, as the number of cases soared across the world.In a video address at the opening of the three-day World Health Summit in Berlin, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the only way to recover from the pandemic was together and by making sure poorer countries had fair access to a vaccine."It is natural that countries want to protect their own citizens first but if and when we have an effective vaccine, we must also use it effectively. And the best way to do that is to vaccinate some people in all countries rather than all people in some countries," he said."Let me be clear: vaccine nationalism will prolong the pandemic, not shorten it."Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, which has killed over 1.1 million people.Several dozen vaccine candidates are currently being tested in

Oct 26, 2020
WHO chief warns against 'vaccine nationalism'

High COVID-19 numbers in capital area raise worries ahead of Halloween

A visitor wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus, walks along a wall outside the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. APThe number of COVID-19 cases in the capital area has increased since the government eased its social distancing rules two weeks ago, posing an ongoing challenge to health authorities ahead of possibly large crowds this Halloween weekend.The government took coronavirus restrictions down to the lowest Level 1 on Oct. 12, citing falling new cases and "public fatigue" over various restrictions on dining in, gathering in large crowds and other measures meant to stop the spread of the virus.But in the two weeks since, domestic infections have increased daily by numbers ranging from 41 to 138, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.Only two days met the criterion for Level 1 ― fewer than 50 new daily cases ― while two other days saw the figures surpass 100 to 104 and 138.Health authorities have expressed concern the trend will continue and worsen going into the winter as the seasonal flu spreads.A more immediate con

Oct 26, 2020
High COVID-19 numbers in capital area raise worries ahead of Halloween
  • New virus cases rebound to over 100 on cluster infections in greater Seoul

New virus cases rebound to over 100 on cluster infections in greater Seoul

An employee, center right, wearing a face mask and face shield, guides a passenger at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. APSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 100 on Monday again despite the lower number of tests carried out over the weekend, as sporadic cluster infections continued to emerge in the greater Seoul area.The country added 119 more COVID-19 cases, including 94 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 25,955, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).It marked a sharp rise from 61 cases reported Sunday and 77 from Saturday.The latest uptick is especially worrisome considering the fact that fewer tests are usually carried out over the weekend compared with weekdays.Given the ups and downs in daily new virus cases, health authorities have been saying that the country's COVID-19 pandemic is at a manageable level since it eased the social distancing scheme to the lowest level on Oct. 12, which allowed South Koreans to resume most of their daily activities while following basic guidelines.

Oct 26, 2020
New virus cases rebound to over 100 on cluster infections in greater Seoul
  • High COVID-19 numbers in capital area raise worries ahead of Halloween
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