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Bill Gates makes more coronavirus predictions, good and bad news

Bill Gates, chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, gestures during a session at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. APBill Gates, now known best for warning the world five years ago about a coming pandemic, delivered more predictions on Wednesday about Covid-19, some bound to disappoint and others optimistic.The bad news is that an effective Covid-19 vaccine is not likely until somewhere around September 2021, and the US will not be able to ease up on social distancing measures that have shut broad swathes of its economy until the end of May this year without risking a resurgence in cases.Gates's estimated 18-month time frame assumes that vaccine development efforts his foundation is funding will move at “full speed, … taking a little bit of risk on the side effects”, and the manufacturing capacities for all of the most promising ones under development immediately even though few of the candidates will prove to be effective.Ten of about 100 vaccines under development “are very promising&r

Apr 9, 2020
Bill Gates makes more coronavirus predictions, good and bad news

8 in 10 Koreans support electronic wristbands for self-isolators

GettyimagesbankNearly 8 in 10 South Koreans agree to the use of electronic wristbands to monitor people under self-quarantine as recently proposed by the government to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, a poll showed Thursday.The poll of 500 adults nationwide, conducted Wednesday by Seoul-based pollster Realmeter, found 77.8 percent supported the proposal of requiring all people subject to two-week self-isolation, including new entrants from abroad, to wear electronic wristbands. Only 16.5 percent opposed the use of such wristbands due to potential human rights violations. The remaining 5.7 percent refused to answer or said they did not have an opinion. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.Support for the use of electronic wristbands was particularly strong among people in their 20s, women, liberals and supporters of the ruling Democratic Party, Realmeter said.Earlier this week, a senior quarantine official said the government is considering the measure to prevent people in self-isolation from going outside, spa

Apr 9, 2020
8 in 10 Koreans support electronic wristbands for self-isolators

Seoul extends expiring visas as pandemic continues

A health worker disinfects the immigration checkpoint at Incheon International Airport, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSouth Korea has extended visas for foreigners set to expire soon to prevent them from visiting immigration offices amid the coronavirus pandemic, the justice ministry said Thursday.Under the move, visas for around 60,000 registered foreign nationals that are set to expire by May 31 have been automatically extended by three months, the ministry said in a press release.The ministry said it expects the visa extension to help reduce the number of visitors at immigration offices and prevent trips to the offices, which can take up to two hours in rural areas. On average, over 2,500 requests for visa extensions are submitted each day.Details on the visa extension are available at the government immigration portal (www.hikorea.go.kr). The information call center (1345) is also open for inquiries.This is the second time the ministry has automatically extended expiring visas in line with the government's social distancing campaign set to end on April 19.In late F

Apr 9, 2020
Seoul extends expiring visas as pandemic continues

Korea reports fewest virus cases since late February

South Korean police officers wearing face masks stand on duty during a campaign for the 2020 South Korean National Assembly election in Seoul, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. APSouth Korea on Thursday reported its fewest additional cases of the new coronavirus since late February, as the country is implementing an extended social distancing drive to fight against the virus pandemic. The 39 new cases, detected Wednesday and down from 53 a day ago, brought the nation's total infections to 10,423, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).South Korea recorded around 50 or fewer daily new cases for a fourth day in a row, a sharp drop from the Feb. 29 peak of 909 new cases. But health authorities remain on high alert over cluster infections at churches and hospitals, as well as new cases coming from overseas.The nation's death toll from the coronavirus, which emerged in China late last year, rose by four to 204, according to the KCDC. In total, 6,973 people in South Korea have recovered from the virus. Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the nation's two worst-affe

Apr 9, 2020
Korea reports fewest virus cases since late February

Cats can catch coronavirus, study finds

Cats eat food on a street that is almost empty before a nighttime curfew imposed by the government to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, April 3, 2020. APCats can become infected with the new coronavirus but dogs appear not to be vulnerable, according to a study published on Wednesday, prompting the WHO to say it will take a closer look at transmission of the virus between humans and pets.The study, published on the website of the journal Science, found that ferrets can also become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the scientific term for the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.Dogs, chickens, pigs and ducks are not likely to catch the virus, however, the researchers found.The study was aimed at identifying which animals are vulnerable to the virus so they can be used to test experimental vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 83,000 people worldwide since it emerged in China in early December.SARS-CoV-2 is believed to have spread from bats to humans. Except for a few reported infections in cats and dogs, there has not been str

Apr 9, 2020
Cats can catch coronavirus, study finds

WHO head defends handling of coronavirus pandemic against Trump criticism

In this Monday, March 9, 2020 file photo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) speaks during a news conference on updates regarding on the novel coronavirus COVID-19 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. APThe head of the World Health Organization gave a strident defence of his agency's handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism and suggestion that Washington could review its funding for the agency.WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for unity and a halt to "politicization" of the global health crisis, specifically urging China and the United States to show "honest leadership".Tedros said that he expected U.S. funding to continue with traditional bipartisan support.U.S. contributions to the WHO in 2019 exceeded $400 million, almost double the second largest country donor, according to U.S. figures. The WHO website shows the United States as its top donor, contributing nearly 15% of the budget."We have kept the world informed about the latest data,

Apr 9, 2020
WHO head defends handling of coronavirus pandemic against Trump criticism

Confusion continues over online classes

Teachers at Yongsan Technical High School in Seoul film a lecture on Wednesday which will be watched by students from Thursday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong Teachers, parents and students were still unsure about what to expect from upcoming online classes, Wednesday, a day before the start of the unprecedented online-only spring semester for high school students and middle school seniors.Last week, the Ministry of Education said schools from elementary to high school will open Thursday but lectures should be offered virtually in an effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, plunging teachers, students and parents into panic.Following high school students and middle school seniors, freshmen and sophomores and fourth to sixth graders in elementary schools will begin their online lectures on April 16, followed by first to third graders in elementary schools on April 20. “I am not sure how things will play out. I haven't done a test lecture with students yet,” said a teacher from Daegu who teaches Korean language to senior high school students. “I made a 50-minute class for my

Apr 8, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Confusion continues over online classes

Seoul orders shutdown of all bars, clubs

By Kim Se-jeong Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon ordered the shutdown of all room salons, clubs, bars and discos across the city until April 19, Wednesday, after a coronavirus infection was reported at a room salon in the affluent Gangnam district.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon speaks during a press conference on the COVID-19 outbreak on March 13 in Seoul./ YonhapPreviously, the city government recommended the shutdown to all 2,146 such outlets, but 422 were still up and running. The government has the authority to shut down businesses in times of national crisis.“New cases from a room salon in Gangnam is worrisome. Patients from the bar jeopardize public health for the entire city of Seoul and their inconsiderate behavior needs to be stopped,” Park said. “I understand people are getting tired of social distancing. But we can't afford to let our guards down.”The growing number of infections in Seoul is worrying the city government. So far, 578 cases have been reported in the city. On Tuesday alone, Seoul added 11 new cases.Infectious disease experts warned against la

Apr 8, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Seoul orders shutdown of all bars, clubs

Visa waivers to be suspended on 'reciprocal' basis

An immigration officer wearing anti-contamination clothing screens a traveler for symptoms of COVID-19 at a checkpoint in Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulKorea toughens entry ban to curb COVID-19 cases By Jun Ji-hyeThe government will temporarily suspend visa-free entry and visa waiver programs with countries that have taken similar actions against Korea, in its ongoing efforts to prevent COVID-19 cases of foreign origin, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Wednesday.The administration will also minimize the issuance of new visas.“The government will expand entry restrictions for foreigners whose visit to Korea is not essential and urgent,” Chung said during a pan-government COVID-19 meeting.The measures come as foreign-origin cases of the coronavirus have continued to emerge amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, while the nation's daily number of new infections has shown “positive” signs of declining, according to the health authorities. The government has been placing all new arrivals in mandatory self-quarantine for

Apr 8, 2020
Visa waivers to be suspended on 'reciprocal' basis

Seoul mayor orders clubs, bars to close in anti-virus measure

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Wednesday issued a de facto business suspension order on clubs and bars across the city following COVID-19 infections linked to a bar in the ritzy neighborhood of Gangnam. Korea Times fileSeoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Wednesday issued a de facto business suspension order on clubs and bars across the city following COVID-19 infections linked to a bar in the ritzy neighborhood of Gangnam."(I) issue an order on banning gatherings at 'room salons,' clubs and 'colatheques' until the government's social distancing campaign ends on April 19," Park told reporters in a press briefing, referring to bars where mostly women serve drinks and a local version of discos."This means that these facilities cannot do business. ... I've literally ordered a business suspension," he said.Park said that 422 of the city's 2,146 bars and clubs are in operation despite the city government's advisory to temporarily suspend business.The administrative order was issued as "close contact often occurs in these venues and it is almost impossible for virus guidelines to be kept there," he

Apr 8, 2020
Seoul mayor orders clubs, bars to close in anti-virus measure
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