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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 virus cases under 200 for 16th day

One of the members of Korean Red Cross' Red Cross Youth (RCY) makes a mask for socially vulnerable groups in the country to prevent themselves from contracting COVID-19. Some 1,250 instructors and staff members of RCY from Seoul's 54 middle and high schools participated in the do-it-yourself activity, according to the organization on Sept. 18. YonhapSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 200 for the 16th straight day on Friday, but local infections remained in the triple digits on rises in sporadic cluster infections and untraceable cases.The country added 126 more COVID-19 cases, including 109 local infections, raising the total caseload to 22,783, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Five more patients died, raising the death toll to 377.It marked a fall from 153 new cases reported Thursday, but the tally was higher than 113 cases Wednesday. Health authorities are seeking to bring the daily new cases down under 100.The number of locally transmitted infections remained in the triple digits for the third straight day. The country's new virus

Sep 18, 2020
New virus cases under 200 for 16th day
  • Untraceable virus cases hit record high of 26.4%
  • Prime Minister dismisses allegations of COVID-19 test manipulation

KCDA says free flu shots for all an impossibility

Information about free flu vaccinations is posted on a medical clinic door in Seoul, Thursday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongAs flu season approaches, the possibility of free flu vaccinations for the country's entire population has been increasingly discussed by politicians.The idea has been debated in response to growing concerns that an increasing number of flu patients, coupled with COVID-19 patients, could have a potentially devastating effect on the nation's healthcare system. So will everyone be able to receive a free flu vaccination this autumn? According to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA), the answer is no. The KCDA said this is because the number of vaccine doses produced is decided early on in the year. “Usually, the authorities estimate the number of doses they need early in the year and start production from March, which takes about five to six months. Given the COVID-19 situation, we added 5 million more this year which brought the total to around 29.5 million,” a KCDA official said. While many have asked if the government could allocate an emergen

Sep 17, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
KCDA says free flu shots for all an impossibility

Untraceable virus cases hit record high of 26.4%

An employee wearing a face mask and face shield stands to guide passengers to maintain a one-way walk flow as a precaution against the coronavirus at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. APThe portion of virus cases with unidentified transmission routes reached a fresh record high of 26.4 percent of the total new infections identified over the past two weeks, health authorities said Thursday.Of the 2,013 new cases reported over the past 14 days, 532 cases were grouped as infections with unknown transmission routes, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).It marked a fresh daily record high since health authorities began compiling related data in April.The number of untraceable cases has topped 20 percent recently since mid-August, as cluster infections spiked in the densely populated Seoul area.A rise in untraceable cases has put a strain on the virus fight, as it indicates that COVID-19 is spreading at a faster-than-expected pace in local communities and people can contract the virus unwittingly."The situation means that asymptoma

Sep 17, 2020
Untraceable virus cases hit record high of 26.4%
  • New virus cases tick up to over 150
  • New virus cases under 200 for 16th day
  • Prime Minister dismisses allegations of COVID-19 test manipulation

New virus cases tick up to over 150

A visitor wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus, walks along a stream in Seoul, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. APSouth Korea reported an uptick in daily new infections of the novel coronavirus Thursday due to sporadic cluster outbreaks and untraceable cases. The country added 153 more COVID-19 cases, including 145 local infections, raising the total caseload to 22,657, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The figure marks a sharp rise from 113 cases reported Wednesday, 106 cases Tuesday and 109 cases Monday. It is the highest daily tally since Friday, when the country identified 176 cases.The country's new virus cases have been in the triple digits for over a month, due mainly to cases tied to a church in northern Seoul and a political rally in the capital in mid-August. Daily infections soared to 441 on Aug. 27. The number of daily new virus cases have been slowing down to some extent on the back of tougher social distancing measures, but rises in cases with unknown infection routes and cluster infections continue to weigh on the virus

Sep 17, 2020
New virus cases tick up to over 150
  • Untraceable virus cases hit record high of 26.4%

Gov't warns of stern response to mass Oct. 3 rallies amid pandemic

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun / YonhapThe government warned Wednesday that it will take stern measures against any illegal rallies on the Oct. 3 National Foundation Day to prevent further spread of the new coronavirus.Conservative activist groups critical of the Moon Jae-in government have applied to hold 435 rallies in central Seoul on the occasion of National Foundation Day, according to the police.The move comes amid criticism that similar outdoor rallies by conservative activists in mid-August have so far resulted in 585 new cases of COVID-19 nationwide."The government has banned 87 rallies, which were either reported to be held in no-assembly zones (in central Seoul) or with participation of over 10 people," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said in a press briefing. "Should they press ahead with the rallies, the government will quickly take measures to disperse them and criminally investigate those who commit illegal acts."The mass demonstrations pose a high risk of virus transmissions because a large number of people gather from across the country and droplets are produced whe

Sep 16, 2020
Gov't warns of stern response to mass Oct. 3 rallies amid pandemic

490,000 students take mock CSAT amid COVID-19

A teacher collects students' answer sheets during a mock university scholastic ability exam held at Yeouido Women's High School in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongAround 490,000 high school seniors took a mock College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) in 3,000 schools and 428 private cram schools across Korea, Wednesday, amid lingering concern over the spread of COVID-19.The test centers welcomed students who were arriving early in the morning with face masks on. The test lasted several hours. This year's CSAT is scheduled for Dec. 3.The schools and academies disinfected test rooms earlier and made sure there was at least a one-meter distance between desks in each test room. All test takers were required to wear masks for the duration of the test. “I am used to wearing a mask now, but I still feel suffocated and uncomfortable. I hope I will be able to concentrate well with the mask on during the test,” a local news outlet quoted a Busan student as saying. Those who are receiving COVID-19 treatment or in self-quarantine were able to take the test online.Korea reported

Sep 16, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
490,000 students take mock CSAT amid COVID-19

Trump says coronavirus vaccine could be weeks away

GettyimagesbankU.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus could be three or four weeks away, despite cautionary notes sounded by some U.S. public health officials about that accelerated timeline. Trump, speaking at a town hall hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia, defended his handling of the coronavirus crisis, and said a vaccine could be ready for distribution before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3. "We're very close to having a vaccine," he said. "If you want to know the truth, the previous administration would have taken perhaps years to have a vaccine because of the FDA and all the approvals. And we're within weeks of getting it... Could be three weeks, four weeks." Earlier this month, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that most experts believe a vaccine will be ready by November or December. "It is conceivable that you can have it by October, though I don't think that that's likely." Other experts say a scientifically credible vaccine will not be available until early 2021. Trump bristled at tough ques

Sep 16, 2020
Trump says coronavirus vaccine could be weeks away
  • Chinese vaccine for COVID-19 ready for use in November, top scientist says

Virus-weary Jeju braces for influx of Chuseok holidaymakers

People spend their time at Hyeopjae Beach on Jeju Island, Monday. As many as 200,000 people are expected to visit the island during the Chuseok holiday. YonhapQuarantine authorities on Jeju Island are on high alert as nearly 200,000 tourists are expected to visit the southern resort island during the upcoming Chuseok holiday.The Jeju Tourism Association said Wednesday that at least 198,000 visitors are projected to come to the island during the extended Chuseok holiday, the Korean version of Thanksgiving, which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 this year. But Koreans will enjoy five days off when the Oct. 3 National Foundation Day and Sunday are included.It means the island is expected to receive an average of some 40,000 visitors each day from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, which is similar to the number of arrivals during the peak summer season.The reservation rates for flights linking Jeju to Seoul's Gimpo airport and Busan's Gimhae airport have reached 70 to 80 percent, prompting airlines to prepare temporary flights on the routes, according to the industry sources.The reservation rates for acco

Sep 16, 2020
Virus-weary Jeju braces for influx of Chuseok holidaymakers
  • 'Ancestors skipped ancestral rites during pandemic'

India's coronavirus cases pass 5 million

People wait in a queue to register their names to have their nasal swab samples taken to test for COVID-19 in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. India's coronavirus cases are now the second-highest in the world and only behind the United States. APIndia's total coronavirus cases passed five million on Wednesday, health ministry data showed, as the pandemic extends its grip on the vast country at an ever-faster rate.With its latest one million cases recorded in just 11 days, a world record, India now has 5.02 million infections. Only the United States has more, with 6.59 million.India has for some time been recording the world's biggest daily jumps in cases, and on Wednesday, the rise was just over 90,000 with a record 1,290 deaths.While India took 167 days to reach one million cases, the next million came in just 21 days, faster than the US and Brazil, according to the Times of India. Just 29 days later, India became only the third country after the US and Brazil to post four million infections. India passed Brazil earlier this month.Even so, and with India now testing around a m

Sep 16, 2020
India's coronavirus cases pass 5 million

New virus cases under 200 for two weeks

A woman wearing a face mask to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus watches her notebook at a coffee shop in Seoul, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. APSouth Korea's new virus cases stayed below 200 for the 14th consecutive day on Wednesday, but a marked slowdown still appears to be some way off as local infections rebounded to triple-digit figures amid no letup in cluster infections and untraceable cases.The country added 113 more COVID-19 cases, including 105 local infections, raising the total caseload to 22,504, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).It marked a slight rise from 106 new cases reported Tuesday and 109 cases Monday. Health authorities want to bring the daily new cases down under 100.The number of local infections bounced back to triple digits after staying under 100 for the third straight day.The country's new virus cases have been slowing down to some extent on the back of tougher social distancing guidelines, but rises in cases with unknown infection routes and cluster infections weighed on the virus fight.Over the past two weeks

Sep 16, 2020
New virus cases under 200 for two weeks
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