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S. Korea administers remdesivir for COVID-19 patients for 1st time

South Korea administered remdesivir, an experimental drug conventionally used for Ebola, for two patients infected with the new coronavirus for the first time on Thursday.South Korea administered remdesivir, an experimental drug conventionally used for Ebola, for two patients infected with the new coronavirus for the first time on Thursday, health authorities said.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said earlier that the medication developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences Inc. will be used for COVID-19 patients in critical condition."There have been applications (seeking remdesivir use) for two coronavirus patients. Remdesivir will be provided after review," KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Joon-wook said in a daily briefing earlier in the day.Coronavirus patients who need oxygen treatment, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), will be administered the drug, the KCDC noted.South Korea's drug safety watchdog approved the use of remdesivir as a treatment drug for COVID-19 in June, allowing the drug's special importation.The first batch of an

Jul 2, 2020
S. Korea administers remdesivir for COVID-19 patients for 1st time

South Korea successfully performs lung transplant on COVID-19 patient

Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital said a donor's lungs were successfully transplanted to the severely ill COVID-19 patient on June 21. Her identity was withheld. Courtesy of the hospitalA South Korean woman in her 50s has received a lung transplant after the novel coronavirus ravaged her respiratory system, doctors said Thursday.Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital said a donor's lungs were successfully transplanted to the severely ill COVID-19 patient on June 21. Her identity was withheld.The procedure marks the first successful lung transplant of a COVID-19 patient in South Korea and the ninth in the world, it said. Similar transports have been reported in China, the United States and Austria.Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital said the patient has now recovered to the point of breathing on her own while undergoing a rehabilitation program to restore her physical strength. The critically ill patient was hospitalized on Feb. 29 and was immediately put on a respirator. Her conditions further worsened, and doctors had to put her on an ECMO machine the next day.The coronav

Jul 2, 2020
South Korea successfully performs lung transplant on COVID-19 patient

S. Korea reports 54 new coronavirus infections

South Korea reported more than 50 new virus cases for the second day in a row on Thursday as cluster infections piled up outside the Seoul metropolitan area.- S. Korea reports 54 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 12,904- No additional coronavirus death, total death toll at 282- 71 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 11,684South Korea reported more than 50 new virus cases for the second day in a row on Thursday as cluster infections piled up outside the Seoul metropolitan area.The country added 54 cases, including 44 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,904, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The tally marked a slight rise from 51 reported a day earlier. South Korea added 43 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 42 cases on Monday.Of the locally transmitted infections, 22 cases were newly identified in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The city also reported double digits of virus cases for the first time a day earlier.Those linked to a Buddhist temple in Gwangju ros

Jul 2, 2020
S. Korea reports 54 new coronavirus infections

Seoul city moving to set up infectious disease hospital

National Medical Center in Seoul / Korea Times fileBy Kim Se-jeong The Seoul Metropolitan Government is moving to relocate the National Medical Center (NMC) to make room for a new infectious disease treatment center, in an effort to cope with any new outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic here. Mayor Park Won-soon and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo signed a document Wednesday vowing to cooperate in the NMC relocation project.“I hope today's move will pave the way for the opening of the new medical center specialized in infectious diseases,” Mayor Park said. “Also, I hope this will also put an end to the 17-year-long debate over the relocation of the NMC.”“I hope this move will make the NMC the main pillar of public healthcare facilities in Korea and that the new infectious disease center will enhance Korea's response to infectious diseases in the future,” Minister Park said.The NMC will move to the former site of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District which is close to the current location. The 42,096 square meters of land is currently owne

Jul 2, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Seoul city moving to set up infectious disease hospital

Remdesivir becomes available to COVID-19 patients

Remdesivir became available for COVID-19 treatment in Korea, Wednesday. YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The government made an Ebola drug, remdesivir, available for limited use in the treatment of COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms, Wednesday, in a move to treat the infectious disease.The government announced 33 patients would be in the first group to receive the drug treatment, adding the prescription will be allowed only for those with pneumonia and in need of oxygen treatment. The National Medical Center which is responsible for distributing the drug for the entire country will collect and review the prescription requests before releasing the drug, which was developed by U.S. biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences Inc. The government said it has enough in stock to treat patients until the end of July, but from August it will have to negotiate again with the company.The treatment will be free of charge in July. In the U.S., the drug is sold for $3,120 per 100 mg, equivalent to 3.75 million won. Remdesivir was found to have shortened the recovery period among patients with serious sym

Jul 1, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Remdesivir becomes available to COVID-19 patients

Stop eating hamburgers!

Members of a civic group hold a protest performance in central Seoul, Wednesday, calling for people to stop eating fast food such as hamburgers and adopt a vegetarian diet in the wake of a recent mass outbreak of food poisoning in a kindergarten in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. More than 100 students and teachers there have complained of food poisoning symptoms, with about one third of them hospitalized for hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), also known as hamburger disease, and other disorders. / Yonhap

Jul 1, 2020By Jun Ji-hye
Stop eating hamburgers!

Another USFK service member tests positive for coronavirus

Another American service member newly assigned to South Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday.The latest COVID-19 case brought the total number of infections among the USFK population to 40.The confirmed patient arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on a commercial flight Sunday and was transported to Camp Humphreys' quarantine barracks, according to the military.He was moved to isolation barracks after being confirmed with COVID-19."USFK health professionals determined there was limited contact tracing due to the service members and all others on the flight being tested and immediately quarantined; thorough cleaning of the bus and quarantine room has been completed," it said in a release.All USFK-affiliated individuals arriving in South Korea from overseas are tested for COVID-19 and then quarantined for 14 days. Medical personnel administer another test prior to their release from isolation, according to the U.S. military. (Yonhap)

Jul 1, 2020

S. Korea reports 51 new cases of coronavirus infection

The number of new virus cases in South Korea bounced back Wednesday as cluster infections continued to increase in areas beyond the Seoul metropolitan area amid a sustained rise in imported cases.- S. Korea reports 51 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 12,850- No additional coronavirus death, total death toll at 282- 76 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 11,613The number of new virus cases in South Korea bounced back Wednesday as cluster infections continued to increase in areas beyond the Seoul metropolitan area amid a sustained rise in imported cases.The country added 51 cases, including 36 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,850, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The tally marked a rise from 43 new cases of COVID-19 reported Tuesday and 42 cases on Monday.Densely populated Seoul and the surrounding area accounted for most of the locally transmitted cases last month, but the virus outbreaks have been constantly reported in other parts of the country.Of local infections,

Jul 1, 2020
S. Korea reports 51 new cases of coronavirus infection

New virus cases below 50 for second day

A man wearing a face mask walks in front of the display of South Korea's capital Seoul logo in Seoul, Sunday, June 28, 2020. APSouth Korea's new virus cases were below 50 for the second straight day Tuesday, but cases traced to religious gatherings continued in addition to a rise in imported cases.Health authorities said they could regulate small-scale gatherings tied to churches if the virus continues to spread across the country through such meetings.The country added 43 cases, including 23 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,800, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The tally compared with 42 new cases of COVID-19 reported Monday and 62 additional cases identified Sunday.The country's health authorities remain anxious about a potential new wave of virus outbreaks in the summer amid sustained rises in local infections and cases coming in from overseas.Of the locally transmitted cases, 13 cases were reported in the densely populated Seoul and the surrounding area.The virus is spreading fast beyond the greater Seoul area, spawning co

Jun 30, 2020
New virus cases below 50 for second day

Workers urged to take vacation in September

A citizen gets a virus test at a makeshift clinic set up at Gwanak public health center in Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiHealth authorities advised companies Monday to encourage their employees to take summer vacation in September to prevent holiday destinations from being overcrowded and thus prevent the spread of the coronavirus. They also asked businesses to split lunch hours into two or three sessions. Such decisions came as fear is growing over sustained rises of local infections and imported cases, which may trigger another COVID-19 outbreak in the summer.“In Korea, the summer vacation period is concentrated on a certain period of summer. More than 70 percent of employees of private companies took holidays between late July and early August last year, so the government has decided to advise them to avoid the peak season,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said during a regular virus response briefing at the government complex in Sejong. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Employers Federation last year, 536 out of 751 companies, or 71.4 percent, responded

Jun 29, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Workers urged to take vacation in September
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