my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Health

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
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.

Vaccine won't end pandemic right away: experts

The novel coronavirus pandemic will not end right away even with the development of a vaccine, and lockdowns will not help root out the virus in the long term, local health experts said Tuesday.The country reported 280 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Tuesday, with unknown infection routes straining the country's virus fight and stoking concerns over the possible second wave of the pandemic.Since Aug. 14, new daily infections have been in triple digits, with most cases being centered on the greater Seoul area and more being reported across the nation."A vaccine is expected as early as next spring," said Oh Myoung-don, head of the country's central clinical committee for emerging disease control.Despite the medical community's high hopes that a vaccine is imminent, there is also skepticism that it may give people unrealistic expectations about how soon the world can return to normal."There is no guarantee on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines," said Oh, adding that a vaccine itself will not immediately end the current pandemic.The coronavirus infects the upper respiratory tract

Aug 25, 2020
  • China supports vaccine development

Criticism grows against doctors' strike amid pandemic

Doctors hold pickets in a protest against the government's medical workforce reform plans on Tuesday at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Public criticism is mounting over the ongoing doctors' strike, which has begun disrupting medical services at some hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.As of Tuesday, thousands of trainee doctors have been staging an indefinite strike for five days since Friday, to protest the government's medical workforce reform plan. The strike was joined by hundreds of doctors Monday.The number is expected to increase as the Korean Medical Association (KMA), which represents more than 130,000 doctors, will begin a three-day nationwide walkout starting Wednesday. But it seems that their collective action amid the pandemic crisis is failing to gain public support. The hashtag #disqualifythem was trending on Twitter, Monday, as many users called for the disqualification of doctors who “are using public safety as a negotiating tool.” A twitter user with the ID @ddang*** wrote, “Nowhere in the world do phy

Aug 25, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Criticism grows against doctors' strike amid pandemic
  • Doctors' strike feared to disrupt medical services amid pandemic
  • Doctors launch full-scale strike, disruptions expected

Infections coming from unknown routes spike in Seoul

New coronavirus cases with unknown infection routes have spiked more than sevenfold in the past week, data showed Tuesday, heightening concern over the infectious virus further spreading here.Cases with unknown infection routes reached 191 between Aug. 16 and 22, accounting for 21.2 percent of 902 cases reported in the capital during the one-week period, according to the data by the Seoul city government.This marks a sharp uptick compared with how there were roughly 10 cases coming from unidentified infection routes each week since the first week of June.The cases were attributed to chain transmissions coming from Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul and an anti-government rally led by conservative pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, who leads the church.In addition to the church-related cases that were first reported on Aug. 12, cluster infections have also been reported at other religious facilities as well as an educational institution, a theater group and a child care center.The recent spike in infections with unidentified routes was also attributed to a rise in elderly patients, who are more

Aug 25, 2020
  • S. Korea reports 280 new coronavirus cases
  • Virus resurgence stokes fears of double-dip recession

Doctors' strike feared to disrupt medical services amid pandemic

A medical worker in a booth waits for people during the COVID-19 testing at a makeshift clinic in Seoul, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. APMore doctors are expected to participate in a full-scale strike this week in protest of the government's medical workforce reform plan, spawning concerns about the disruption in the health care system amid spiking coronavirus cases.Doctors, including interns and resident doctors at general hospitals and practitioners at neighborhood clinics, plan to begin a three-day nationwide strike Wednesday to protest the government's move to increase the number of medical students.Their collective actions come as thousands of trainee doctors have been staging an indefinite strike since late last week, calling for the government to scrap the plan.As part of the country's medical workforce reform plan, the health ministry is planning to expand admission quotas at medical schools by 4,000 over the next 10 years, starting in 2022, and to open a new public medical school as it seeks to broaden the reach of health care services.This will increase the number of students ad

Aug 25, 2020
Doctors' strike feared to disrupt medical services amid pandemic
  • Criticism grows against doctors' strike amid pandemic

S. Korea reports 280 new coronavirus cases

A man wearing a face mask to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus walks along Cheonggye stream in Seoul, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. APThe number of daily new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed below 300 for the second consecutive day Tuesday, but church-linked cases continued to build up, with a growing number of patients with unknown infection routes also straining the country's virus fight.The country reported 280 new COVID-19 cases, including 264 local infections, raising the total caseload to 17,945, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).Tuesday's daily tally marks a slight increase from 266 cases identified the previous day. South Korea reported 324 new cases on Friday, followed by 332 and 397 infections on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The country reported 103 new cases on Aug. 14, which nearly doubled from the previous day. Since then, the country's daily virus cases have been in triple digits, as sporadic clusters have emerged, mostly traced to a church in northern Seoul and an anti-government march on Liberation Day on A

Aug 25, 2020
S. Korea reports 280 new coronavirus cases
  • Infections coming from unknown routes spike in Seoul
  • Gov't to clamp down on coronavirus fake news
  • Virus resurgence stokes fears of double-dip recession

Schools in greater Seoul area ordered to shift to online until Sept. 11 amid virus resurgence

A medical worker holds a portable fan during the sweltering heat at a makeshift clinic at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. APSouth Korean pupils in Seoul and its surrounding areas will return to full remote learning, starting Wednesday, as the country has lately experienced a resurgence of the novel coronavirus and concerns are growing over school safety.The Ministry of Education announced Tuesday that all school kids, including those in kindergartens, in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will stay at home and take online classes until Sept. 11, as a preemptive measure to slow the spread of the highly infectious virus.The emergency policy, announced in a joint briefing by the ministry and the education offices of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, does not apply to high school seniors, who are scheduled to take the national university entrance exam in early December. Small-size schools of less than 60 students and special education schools are given autonomy in whether to follow the ministry's instruction.The sharp policy reversal is a re

Aug 25, 2020
Schools in greater Seoul area ordered to shift to online until Sept. 11 amid virus resurgence
  • Level 3 social distancing fatal to companies

First 'proven' case of COVID-19 reinfection reported in Hong Kong

A man walks on Kowloon's Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront that faces Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong Island skyline in Hong Kong, Aug. 19, 2020. AFPResearchers in Hong Kong Monday identified what they said was the first confirmed case worldwide of COVID-19 reinfection, raising questions about the durability of immunity, whether acquired naturally or with a vaccine."Our study proves that immunity for COVID infection is not lifelong ― in fact, reinfection can occur quite quickly," said Kelvin Kai-Wang To, a microbiologist at Hong Kong University's Faculty of Medicine and lead author of a forthcoming study that details the findings."COVID-19 patients should not assume after they recover that they won't get infected again," he told AFP in an interview.Even people who have shaken off the virus should practice social distancing, wear masks and practise hand washing, he advised.They should also get tested if suspect symptoms appear.The case came to light when a 33-year old resident of Hong Kong passed through mandatory screening earlier this month at the Hong Kong airport on his way back from Eu

Aug 25, 2020
First 'proven' case of COVID-19 reinfection reported in Hong Kong

Gov't pressed to raise social distancing level to highest

Cars wait in line at a drive-through COVID-19 testing location at a parking lot of a sports center in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, Monday. Coronavirus infections that had been mostly in Seoul and its surrounding areas recently appear to be spreading rapidly nationwide. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government is facing growing calls from health experts and organizations to enforce its toughest social distancing restrictions as soon as possible to prevent massive COVID-19 infections nationwide.On Monday, 10 organizations including the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and the Korea Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases issued a joint statement, asking the administration to raise the level of social distancing to its highest at the earliest possible date.The government adopted a three-tier social distancing plan June 28, and raised the distancing guidelines from Level 1 to Level 2 for the entire country, beginning Sunday, as Korea is being hit by a new surge of coronavirus infections, with daily new cases jumping by triple digits every day since Aug. 13. The 10 organization

Aug 24, 2020
Gov't pressed to raise social distancing level to highest
  • S. Korea reports 266 new coronavirus cases
  • Seoul mandates mask-wearing in public places; violators to be fined
  • Citizens join '#stayhomechallenge' movement to fight coronavirus
  • PHOTOS Uphill battle against virus

Cafes feared to become virus hotbeds

A Starbucks in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, closed due to virus infections, in this Aug. 18 photo. The cafe reopened Monday after a two-week suspension. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiStarbucks and other coffee chains here have emerged as a blind spot in the country's ongoing struggle to contain the coronavirus, according to health experts Monday. They said the authorities should force those operating coffee shops to take more aggressive measures to prevent COVID-19 infections among customers, and if new infections continue to occur, cafes should be closed, just as PC rooms and buffet restaurants have been shut down. Early last week, the government enforced Level 2 social distancing measures including the closure of facilities in which the virus could spread most easily, such as PC rooms, nightclubs, karaoke rooms and buffet restaurants. However, cafes and restaurants are not included on the list of high-risk facilities even though outbreaks tied to such places have been reported in the capital area. Experts warn that people need to be cautious when they visit coffee shops, otherwise the government

Aug 24, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Cafes feared to become virus hotbeds

Who's to blame for virus spread: defiant churches or reckless gov't?

Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon appears on a screen set up near Dongwha Duty Free Shop in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul on Aug. 15. The pastor of the Seoul-based Sarang Jeil Church delivered a speech at the crowded anti-government rally. Later he tested positive for the coronavirus. / YonhapA blame game in full swing as virus spreads out of control By Kang Hyun-kyungSome Protestant church leaders have been simmering with anger as the Moon Jae-in government tries to hold the churches accountable for the sudden rise of COVID-19 patients starting Aug. 14. They allege the government is ultimately responsible for the current wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as it eased social distancing rules hastily in July by encouraging the public to visit museums, watch baseball games in stadiums and explore crowded tourist hot spots in the name of revitalizing the economy.But, they claim, government officials are demonizing and scapegoating the churches to save face at a time when infection cases show few signs of falling, an allegation the government denies. The second wave of COVID-19 has pitted the government again

Aug 24, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Who's to blame for virus spread: defiant churches or reckless gov't?
previous page
325326327328329
next page

Most Read in South Korea