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Virus cases fall below 50; church infections persist

Sokcho Facilities Management Corporation employees go through sterilization as they enter Sokcho Beach in Korea's eastern coast, Friday. Beaches at the country's eastern coast opened on the day, except ones in Gangneung and Donghae cities, while visitors must enter or exit the beaches through a designated entrance to prevent spread of COVID-19. YonhapSouth Korea's new daily virus cases fell below 50 on Friday, but imported cases and infections tied to churches continued despite enhanced anti-infection measures.The country added 45 cases, including 22 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,338, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).South Korea reported more than 60 new virus cases for three consecutive days through Sunday, before falling below 50 on Monday and Tuesday. The new daily cases rebounded to 63 on Wednesday, and reached 50 the following day. The country identified 23 more imported cases, posting double-digit numbers for more than two weeks. On Wednesday, the figure reached a three-month high of 33 cases.Sporadic cluster infectio

Jul 10, 2020
Virus cases fall below 50; church infections persist

Tougher anti-infection measures set to be implemented at churches

Members of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District serve a Sunday service at the church's grand chapel in May as the country's churches were urged to minimize attendees of their services to prevent spread of COVID-19. YonhapSouth Korea will begin Friday to ban churches from holding small gatherings other than regular worship services in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus tied to religious facilities.Churches should also use QR-code based entry logs as part of anti-infection measures, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.Starting at 6:00 p.m., churches nationwide will be barred from organizing small gatherings, including Bible classes, choir practices, and group meals, as the country has seen a spike in cluster infections traced to small-scale meetings at churches.Since the country relaxed stricter social distancing in early May, cluster infections in Seoul and adjacent areas have continued to pop up, with many linked to religious facilities.A QR code-based registration system will be also implemented for churches. Curr

Jul 10, 2020
Tougher anti-infection measures set to be implemented at churches

Medytox to demand 'enormous' compensation from Daewoong

Daewoong Pharmaceutical headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul / Courtesy of Daewoong PharmaceuticalBy Nam Hyun-wooAs the long-drawn-out legal battle between Medytox and Daewoong Pharmaceutical over the origin of their botulinum toxin (BTX) strains leans toward Medytox's favor following an initial determination by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), market interests are on the amount of compensation Medytox will demand from its archrival.Though it remains uncertain whether the companies will reach an agreement before the USITC makes its final determination banning Daewoong's BTX business in the U.S., industry officials say Medytox is set to demand a “huge amount” of compensation from Daewoong, regardless of what happens in the next stage of their battle. Earlier this week, USITC judge David Shaw recommended a 10-year ban on importing Daewoong's Nabota, marketed as Jeuveau in the U.S., based on the claim the company developed the product with a BTX strain stolen from Medytox. Since this is a preliminary determination, the ban is yet to be effective until it is uphe

Jul 9, 2020By Nam Hyun-woo
Medytox to demand 'enormous' compensation from Daewoong

S. Korea reports 50 new coronavirus infections

- S. Korea reports 50 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 13,293- 2 additional coronavirus deaths, total death toll at 287- 49 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 12,019South Korea's new daily virus cases declined slightly on Thursday, but a continued rise in imported cases and infections linked to religious facilities continued to strain the country's virus fight.The country added 50 cases, including 28 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,293, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).South Korea had reported more than 60 new virus cases for three consecutive days through Sunday, before falling below 50 on Monday and Tuesday. The new daily cases rebounded to 63 a day earlier on a sharp rise in infections coming in from overseas.The country newly identified 22 more imported cases, posting double-digit numbers for 14 consecutive days. On Wednesday, the figure reached a three-month high at 33 cases. Sporadic cluster infections across the nation also continued to rise.Of the new local

Jul 9, 2020
S. Korea reports 50 new coronavirus infections

Korea's innovative drive-through, walk-through testing methods highlighted amid COVID-19

A medical staff collects sample of a Seoul resident from a walk-through testing clinic set up at the Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul in this April 3 photo. All Seoul residents entering the country from abroad are required to get tested for COVID-19 although there are no symptoms present. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanThis is the second in a five-part series on Korea's response to COVID-19, produced in collaboration with the Korea Foundation. -- ED.By Kim Hyun-binThe COVID-19 pandemic has swept through the world keeping international communities on the highest alert, while forcing them to scramble to find effective preventive measures in the hopes of stopping the spread of the deadly virus.Amid the pandemic, Korea's preventive measures especially hogged the limelight on the international stage as they were considered some of the most effective to contain the outbreak.The country was the world's first to introduce drive-through and walk-through test centers that have now been adopted by many other nations.Drive-through testing allows patients to sit inside their car while medical staf

Jul 8, 2020By Kim Hyun-bin
Korea's innovative drive-through, walk-through testing methods highlighted amid COVID-19

Ethnic Korean named Kazakh health minister

Alexey Tsoi / Korea Times fileBy Do Je-hae An ethnic Korean was named the top health policymaker in Kazakhstan last month, according to the latest media reports. Alexey Tsoi was appointed health minister on June 25 amid a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Central Asian nation. Some of the country's officials have been treated for the coronavirus, including Tsoi's predecessor Elzhan Birtanov. Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has also tested positive for the COVID-19.The new health minister's immediate priority is to tackle the COVID-19 spread in the latter half of the year. As of Wednesday, 264 people have died from the coronavirus in Kazakhstan. “Our task is to stop the spread so as to see a reduction in the number of active cases,” he said at a briefing earlier this month.Tsoi has taken a number of roles related to health and medicine in Kazakhstan.Before being appointed the health minister, he served in a number of important posts, including the first vice minister of health and social development and chief of the Medical Center of the Office of t

Jul 8, 2020By Do Je-hae
Ethnic Korean named Kazakh health minister

Gov't to get tougher on churches to contain COVID-19

Medical staff take a sample from a citizen at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in Gwangju, Wednesday. The southwestern city has reported more than 80 virus patients in about 10 days. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government plans to apply enhanced guidelines aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 to churches and other religious facilities as infection clusters traced to religious gatherings have continued to be reported across the country, the health authorities said Wednesday. Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Kim Gang-lip said the enhanced rules will be applied to churches first, beginning from 6 p.m. Friday, banning them from organizing gatherings, such as Bible studies or choir practice, other than regular worship services. Churches will also be banned from offering group meals, and required to install quick response (QR) code-based registration systems for visitors.“The enhanced rules will be applied to churches nationwide,” Kim said during a media briefing. “We have yet to designate churches as a high-risk facilities, thus they will still be able to hold re

Jul 8, 2020
Gov't to get tougher on churches to contain COVID-19

Japanese man faces investigation for violating self-isolation rule

Police officers wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus stand guard in downtown Seoul, July 7, 2020. APA Japanese national visiting South Korea's southern port city of Busan is facing a police investigation for failing to comply with the government's mandatory self-isolation rules aimed at containing the new coronavirus, authorities here said Wednesday.Busan's health authorities said they have reported the Japanese, identified only as a man in his 50s, to the local police for leaving his designated self-isolation accommodation three times without permission after entering South Korea on Friday.The man arrived in Busan by train on the afternoon of Friday from Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, before being tested for the coronavirus at Busan Station. The test produced a negative result on Sunday, but he was ordered to self-isolate at his place of accommodation for two weeks under Seoul's anti-COVID-19 quarantine rules.The Japanese national is accused of making his first unauthorized departure from his accommodation in Dongnae Ward in Bus

Jul 8, 2020
Japanese man faces investigation for violating self-isolation rule

New infections rebound to over 60, imported cases surge to 3-month high

The exterior of a building is illuminated showing messages to support the country, as measures to avoid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue, in Seoul, July 7, 2020. ReutersSouth Korea's daily new virus cases bounced back to above 60 on Wednesday as cluster infections in major cities and imported cases do not show signs of letting up.The country added 63 cases, including 30 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,244, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The latest tally marked a sharp rise from the 44 cases reported Tuesday. South Korea had reported more than 60 cases for three consecutive days through Sunday, before falling to 48 on Monday.Imported cases have emerged as yet another stumbling block in the country's virus fight. The country has posted a double-digit number of imported cases for 13 consecutive days. The newly identified cases coming in from overseas mark the highest since April 5, when the reading was 40.Of the new local infections, seven were reported in the southwestern city of Gwangju, with most tr

Jul 8, 2020
New infections rebound to over 60, imported cases surge to 3-month high

No. of blood donors dips 11% in Jan.-May

GettyimagesbankThe number of blood donors in South Korea sank nearly 11 percent in the first five months of this year amid a prolonged coronavirus outbreak, data showed Wednesday.About 966,900 people donated blood in the January-May period, down 10.9 percent from some 1.08 million a year earlier, according to the Korean Red Cross data provided to Rep. Jeon Bong-min of the main opposition United Future Party.The sharp decline comes as the potentially deadly novel coronavirus has been gripping South Korea for approximately six months, making blood donations more difficult. South Korea relies heavily on blood donations from students and soldiers for its blood supply. They account for about one-third of the country's total donations.The new coronavirus has infected nearly 13,200 South Koreans since the country reported its first case in late January, with the death toll reaching 285.The plunge in blood donations has sounded an alarm over the country's blood supply. The humanitarian organization considers five days worth of blood or more an "optimal" reserve.During the five-month period,

Jul 8, 2020
No. of blood donors dips 11% in Jan.-May
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