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No. of damaged banknotes grows as people try to sanitize money amid pandemic

GettyimagesbankThe number of damaged banknotes found in South Korea grew slightly from a year earlier in the first six months of the year, with some people trying to sanitize their money, apparently using the wrong methods, amid fears of the new coronavirus, central bank data showed Friday.In the January-June period, the number of damaged bills came to some 345.7 million, up from 345.2 million found over the same period last year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).The combined face value of the damaged bills came to about 2.69 trillion won (US$2.26 billion).The BOK said the slight increase may be partly attributed to fears over the new coronavirus.For instance, a person in Ansan, located just south of Seoul, sought to rid his money of the new coronavirus by literally washing them, damaging all 22 million won worth of bills he had received in wedding gifts.A person in the western port city of Incheon also lost 5 million won worth of bills after trying to disinfect the bills by putting them in a microwave.The BOK earlier said it will store used bills up to 2 weeks before re-releasin

Jul 31, 2020
No. of damaged banknotes grows as people try to sanitize money amid pandemic

Celltrion gets clinical trial approval for coronavirus treatment in Britain

Celltrion, a leading pharmaceutical firm in South Korea, said Thursday that it has won approval to conduct a phase one clinical trial for its antibody treatment against the new coronavirus in Britain.Celltrion, a leading pharmaceutical firm in South Korea, said Thursday that it has won approval to conduct a phase one clinical trial for its antibody treatment against the new coronavirus in Britain.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave the green light to administer Celltrion's CT-P59 to COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the antiviral antibody treatment.Celltrion said it plans to conduct phase two and three clinical studies for the candidate on COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms by the end of this year.In South Korea, Celltrion is currently conducting a phase one clinical trial for its CT-P59 by enrolling 32 healthy volunteers who have not contracted COVID-19.The initial tests in Britain are to be completed by the third quarter, and if they are successful, Celltrion will subsequently conduct second and third pha

Jul 30, 2020
Celltrion gets clinical trial approval for coronavirus treatment in Britain

S. Korea reports 18 new coronavirus infections

- S. Korea reports 18 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 14,269- No additional coronavirus-related death, total now at 300- 63 more released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 13,132South Korea's new coronavirus cases dipped to more than a month low Thursday as imported cases dwindled from last week's record high over infections traced to the virus-hit Iraq and Russian sailors.The country added 18 cases, including 11 imported cases, raising the total caseload to 14,269, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The tally marked a sharp decline from 48 new virus cases reported Wednesday and 28 cases Tuesday.It also marked the lowest since June 22 when the number of new daily cases hit 17.The country's imported cases have recently surged as infections spiked among South Korean workers returning home from Iraq and Russian sailors. Imported cases, which hit a record 86 on Saturday, have risen by double-digit numbers for 35 straight days.Of the newly reported imported cases, four cases were from the Philippines, followed by Saudi Arabia with t

Jul 30, 2020
S. Korea reports 18 new coronavirus infections

Gov't to bolster supervision of foreign arrivals

A foreign arrival listens to COVID-19 guidelines from health officials at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government has decided to strengthen its supervision of foreign nationals required to participate in a mandatory two-week quarantine period after arriving in Korea to stem the possible community transmission of COVID-19, officials said Wednesday. They noted police patrols will increase, and more surveillance cameras will be installed in a bid to prevent those in mandatory quarantine from leaving quarantine facilities. The measures came after three Vietnamese nationals escaped, Monday, from a hotel in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, which was designated by the government as one of the quarantine facilities to house foreign arrivals.The three used a descending life line from the sixth floor of the hotel, police said, noting that they are still searching for the whereabouts of the three. They still had one week left in their mandatory quarantine period. Their escape raised concerns as the number of COVID-19 infections among people arriving from abroad ha

Jul 29, 2020

S. Korea reports 48 new cases of coronavirus infection

- S. Korea reports 48 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 14,251- No additional coronavirus-related death, total now at 300- 62 more released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 13,069The number of new daily coronavirus in South Korea bounced back to above 40 Wednesday as both imported cases and local transmissions climbed up.The country added 48 cases, including 34 imported cases, raising the total caseload to 14,251, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The tally marked a sharp increase from 25 new virus cases reported Monday and 28 cases Tuesday.Infections coming in from overseas have risen steadily by double-digit numbers for 34 consecutive days. The number of imported cases spiked to a record 86 on Saturday before dropping to 46 Sunday and 16 Monday.Of the 34 newly reported imported cases, 21 were detected at quarantine checkpoints at ports and airports.The newly identified cases are mostly tied to Russian ships docked in the southeastern port city of Busan. So far, cases tied to seafarers on Russia-flagged ships have reached 90,

Jul 29, 2020
S. Korea reports 48 new cases of coronavirus infection

Calls mounting for toughening entry rules for foreigners

New arrivals approach quarantine officials in Incheon International Airport, Tuesday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The government is facing growing calls to toughen its entry rules for non-citizens in order to protect the country from COVID-19 infections being “imported” from overseas.The calls stem from a steadily increase in the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus ― double-digit daily counts for more than a month ― coming here from other countries. Also, the government is finding more foreign nationals who are violating quarantine rules. On Tuesday, the police said they were searching for three Vietnamese nationals who had escaped a designated facility during self-quarantine. “We believe they did it using an emergency escape rope,” said Yoon Tae-ho, a high-ranking official with the quarantine authorities, adding the government is considering dispatching more police officers and military personnel to the facility, and adding more surveillance cameras.The three arrived in Korea on tourist visas but had employment contracts with a local shipping com

Jul 28, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Calls mounting for toughening entry rules for foreigners

Up to $40 a shot? Price negotiation for COVID-19 vaccine kicks off

A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo/Coordinators of a global coronavirus vaccines funding scheme are looking at a wide range of potential prices for COVID-19 shots, with a reported $40 per dose price tag the "highest number" in that range, one of the co-leads of the project said on Monday.Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI vaccine alliance, which is co-leading the COVAX facility designed to ensure fair global access to COVID-19 shots, said the facility had no specific target price and would also seek to negotiate tiered pricing for richer and poorer countries.Berkley rejected comments from European Union sources last week who said the COVAX facility was targeting a $40 price for COVID vaccines for wealthy countries. The EU sources had said the EU would be seeking to secure cheaper deals outside of the COVAX scheme."There was a large range of numbers, and they (the EU sources) put the highest number out," Berkley said in an interview. He said that in

Jul 28, 2020
Up to $40 a shot? Price negotiation for COVID-19 vaccine kicks off

Moderna, Pfizer start decisive COVID-19 vaccine trials, eye year-end launches

Nurse Kathe Olmstead, right, gives volunteer Melissa Harting, of Harpersville, N.Y., an injection as the world's biggest study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway Monday, July 27, 2020, in Binghamton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc launched two 30,000-subject trials of COVID-19 vaccines that could clear the way for regulatory approval and widespread use by the end of this year, the companies said on Monday.The trials, both announced on Monday, are the first late-stage studies supported by the Trump administration's effort to speed development of measures against the novel coronavirus, adding to hope that an effective vaccine will help end the pandemic.Moderna stock rose 9%. Pfizer shares rose 1.6% in afterhours trade and its partner BioNTech, which developed the vaccine, rose 4.2%.Both vaccine candidates rely on a new technology that allows for faster development and manufacturing than traditional vaccine production methods but does not have an extensive track record.So-called mRNA, or

Jul 28, 2020
Moderna, Pfizer start decisive COVID-19 vaccine trials, eye year-end launches

Experimental COVID-19 vaccine is put to its biggest test

A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File PhotoThe biggest test yet of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine got underway Monday with the first of some 30,000 Americans rolling up their sleeves to receive shots created by the U.S. government as part of the all-out global race to stop the pandemic.The glimmer of hope came even as Google, in one of the gloomiest assessments of the coronavirus's staying power from a major employer, decreed that most of its 200,000 employees and contractors should work from home through next June ― a decision that could influence other big companies.Final-stage testing of the vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., began with volunteers at numerous sites around the U.S. given either a real dose or a dummy without being told which.``I'm excited to be part of something like this. This is huge,'' said Melissa Harting, a 36-year-old nurse who received an injection in Binghamton, New York. Especially with family me

Jul 28, 2020
Experimental COVID-19 vaccine is put to its biggest test

S. Korea reports 28 new more cases of coronavirus infection

- S. Korea reports 28 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 14,203- 1 additional coronavirus-related death, total now at 300- 102 more released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 13,007The number of daily new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed below 30 for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as both imported and local cases showed a clear sign of a slowdown.The country added 28 new cases, including 23 cases coming in from abroad, bringing the total to 14,203, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The number of new cases reached a four-month high of 113 on Saturday as imported cases set a new record of 86 due mainly to infections among South Korean workers returning home from Iraq and Russian sailors.The daily new cases dropped to 25 on Monday as imported cases fell sharply, but the country is still on guard against a steady rise in cases coming in from overseas with the gradual resumption of global air travel. The number of imported cases has risen by double-digit figures for more than a month.As of Monday, at least 120 South Kore

Jul 28, 2020
S. Korea reports 28 new more cases of coronavirus infection
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