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Korea gripped by 2nd wave of COVID-19 pandemic

Residents of Guro-gu in southwestern Seoul wait to be tested for COVID-19 outside the district health center, Thursday. /YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongKorea appears to have entered the much-feared second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reporting 441 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, the highest daily total since March.The KCDC said 313 of the cases were in the Seoul metropolitan area where more than half of the country's population lives. The remaining 121 were reported nationwide, the first time for the figure to exceed 100 since the nation saw a triple-digit increase two weeks ago. The total number of COVID-19 cases has now reached to 18,706, with 313 fatalities so far. The quarantine authorities said the outbreak over the last two weeks posed a bigger threat than the first one in Daegu that began in February. While most cases there were linked to one church, the recent cases in the capital have involved many smaller outbreaks with unclear transmission routes.Officials said the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been trying t

Aug 27, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Korea gripped by 2nd wave of COVID-19 pandemic

Gov't-doctor standoff escalating with no settlement in sight

A doctor walks down a hallway in the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul, Thursday, the second day of a three-day strike by tens of thousands of doctors nationwide in protest of the government's medical workforce reforms. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe ongoing standoff between the government and the medical community has been escalating as doctors have continued their nationwide strike, Thursday, for the second day in protest of the government's medical reform plan.The Ministry of Health and Welfare warned of stern action against those participating in the doctors' strike, but it did not stop tens of thousands of interns and resident doctors at general hospitals participating in the second collective action. The Korean Medical Association (KMA) organized the walkout, pledging an even stronger response if the government gives any disadvantages to its members. “I will go to jail, so junior doctors should not give up this fight until the end,” KMA President Choi Dae-zip wrote on Facebook, Wednesday, encouraging doctors to continue the strike. “If t

Aug 27, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov't-doctor standoff escalating with no settlement in sight

S. Korea reports 441 new virus cases, biggest single-day hike since March

- S. Korea reports 441 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 18,706- 1 additional coronavirus death, total at 313- 93 more patients released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 14,461The number of daily new coronavirus cases in South Korea spiked to a nearly six month high of over 400 on Thursday as sporadic cluster infections across the country continued to pile up, adding to calls for the adoption of the toughest antivirus curbs.The country reported 441 new COVID-19 cases, including 434 local infections, raising the total caseload to 18,706, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).Thursday's daily tally marks the first time that the country's daily virus cases surpassed the 400 threshold since March 7 when the country reported 483 cases following the massive outbreak in Daegu and its neighboring North Gyeongsang Province tied to followers of the minor religious sect Shincheonji.South Korea had been getting the virus under control, when the daily new cases stayed in double-digit figures, until early August.But the daily virus cases reached

Aug 27, 2020
S. Korea reports 441 new virus cases, biggest single-day hike since March

Doctors ordered to go back to work amid soaring infections

A doctor holds a sign during a protest against the government's medical workforce reform plans, including one to increase admission quotas at medical schools, in front of Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapDaily new virus cases bounce back to over 300By Jun Ji-hyeThe government ordered doctors, especially those in the Seoul metropolitan area, to return to work, Wednesday, as tens of thousands of doctors across the country pushed ahead with their three-day strike in protest against the government's decision to increase admission quotas at medical schools.Government officials said doctors who do not comply with the order could have their licenses revoked and even face criminal charges. This is raising tension between a doctors' association and the government amid growing fears over of a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.The doctors including interns and resident doctors at general hospitals and practitioners at local clinics have proceeded with their second collective action, as the Korea Medical Association (KMA) and the government failed to narrow differe

Aug 26, 2020
Doctors ordered to go back to work amid soaring infections

Korea urged to better regulate wild animals to prevent future pandemics

A child touches a raccoon at an exotic animal cafe in Seoul in this undated photo from a 2019 report on nationwide exotic animal cafes by Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education . Courtesy of Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and EducationBy Lee Hyo-jin Recent pandemics caused by “zoonosis” ― disease transmitted from animals to humans ― are driving movements to strengthen controls regarding wild animals in order to prevent future pandemics, according to public health and veterinary experts.COVID-19, as most scientists believe, originated in bats from southwestern China. It has caused one of the worst zoonotic diseases in history, but it is definitely not the first. H1N1 came from pigs. MERS, carried by camels, is believed to be originally from bats. In fact, 60 percent of known infectious diseases and 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. “A low-pathogenic virus causing mild symptoms in animals can result in deadly diseases when transmitted to a human body,” said Song Dae-

Aug 26, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea urged to better regulate wild animals to prevent future pandemics

Army reserve soldier in Seoul tests positive for new coronavirus

An Army reserve soldier who works at a community center in Seoul tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of virus patients among military members to 95, the defense ministry said Wednesday.The private first class, who serves as a full-time reserve service member, appears to have been infected after dining with a confirmed civilian patient last Friday in violation of a no-movement order that the ministry issued for all service members out of virus concerns.Officials said they will review whether to launch a probe after his recovery.The solider commutes to the office from his home without having to live in military barracks."He tested positive yesterday, and three of his colleagues who came into contact with him also underwent virus tests and are awaiting results," the ministry said in a statement.Currently, 1,055 service members are in isolation in accordance with the health authorities' guidelines, and the military has quarantined an additional 3,809 people under stricter anti-virus schemes of its own as a preventive step.The number of COVID-19 infections h

Aug 26, 2020

Virus cases bounce back to over 300

- S. Korea reports 320 more cases of coronavirus- 2 additional coronavirus deaths, total at 312- 82 more patients released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 14,368The number of daily new coronavirus cases in South Korea spiked to over 300 on Wednesday as sporadic cluster infections across the country, coupled with rising cases tied to churches, continued to build up, with the strongest antivirus restrictions being seriously considered.The country reported 320 new COVID-19 cases, including 307 local infections, raising the total caseload to 18,265, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).South Korea reported 324 new cases Friday, followed by 332 and 397 infections on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.The number of new infections slightly fell to 266 cases and 280 cases on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, but experts say the decrease was also in part attributable to fewer COVID-19 tests being carried out over the weekend.South Korea had been putting the virus spread under control until early August, when the daily new cases stayed in double-digi

Aug 26, 2020
Virus cases bounce back to over 300

Doctors launch full-scale strike, disruptions expected

A medical worker holds a portable fan during a sweltering heat as police officers are tested for COVID-19 at a makeshift clinic at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. APTens of thousands of doctors went on a full-scale strike nationwide for a three-day run Wednesday in protest of the government's medical workforce reform amid spiking coronavirus cases. The collective actions by doctors, including interns and resident doctors at general hospitals, and practitioners at neighborhood clinics, came as they balked at the government's move to increase the number of medical students.The walkout is second of its kind and organized by the Korean Medical Association (KMA), which has some 130,000 members.Thousands of trainee doctors have already been staging an indefinite strike since late last week, calling for the government to scrap the plan.Trainee doctors held a one-day strike on Aug. 7 and also participated in the KMA's nationwide walkout a week later.The walkout has already brought disruptions in the health care system at a time when the country is str

Aug 26, 2020
Doctors launch full-scale strike, disruptions expected

All schools in greater Seoul area go online amid virus surge

Workers disinfect as a precaution against the coronavirus in front of a pharmacy in Goyang, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. Korea is closing schools and switching back to remote learning in the greater capital area as the country counted its 12th straight day of triple-digit daily increases in coronavirus cases. APSchools in Seoul and its surrounding areas returned to remote classes Wednesday to protect students and slow down the spread of the virus, as infections surge throughout the nation.The Ministry of Education ordered all 7,826 kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools in the metropolitan area ― Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province ― on Tuesday to hold online classes only, until Sept. 11, to tame the highly infectious coronavirus. High school seniors are not subject to the policy in order to prepare for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the yearly national university entrance exam slated for Dec. 3, in which some 480,000 students are expected to participate.The measure also does not apply to the rest of the country, where schools continue to offer a mix of in-person

Aug 26, 2020
All schools in greater Seoul area go online amid virus surge

Schools ordered to move online amid COVID-19 resurgence

An elementary student walks to school with her mother in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, Tuesday. Schools in the Seoul metropolitan area must shift to online classes for two weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak. / YonhapDoctors to push for full-scale strike todayBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Ministry of Education ordered all elementary, middle and high schools and kindergartens in the Seoul metropolitan area, Tuesday, to move classes online, beginning today, amid the soaring number of COVID-19 infections among students and teachers.The ministry announced the plan in a joint briefing with the education offices of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. The measure was in response to the recent surge in the number of students, teachers as well as faculty members becoming infected amid the full-fledged opening of schools. “About 193 students and faculty members tested positive for COVID-19 in the Seoul metropolitan area alone between Aug. 11 and 23, and 76 percent of these infections occurred in the past two weeks since starting classes in schools,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during an

Aug 25, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Schools ordered to move online amid COVID-19 resurgence
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