Health

Updates on COVID-19 cases in Korea

Korea to apply strict quarantine screening on arrivals from virus-hit Italy, Iran

South Korea said on Wednesday that it will apply strict quarantine screening to entrants from COVID-19-hit Italy and Iran in addition to those arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSouth Korea said on Wednesday that it will apply strict quarantine screening to entrants from COVID-19-hit Italy and Iran in addition to those arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao.Starting from midnight, passengers from the two countries grappling with spiking outbreaks of the novel coronavirus will be required to write a special quarantine report, answering questions about whether they have a fever or respiratory problems. Since February, South Korea has been adopting enhanced quarantine measures against arrivals from China, Hong Kong and Macao as part of efforts to stem the inflow of the virus.The enhanced quarantine measures came as Italy and Iran saw virus infections soar in recent few days. The two countries are only second and third to China, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, in reported cases.Italy has reported more than 10,000 confirme

Iran surpasses Korea in coronavirus cases

Pedestrians walk as some of them wear masks in downtown Tehran, Iran, Feb. 27, 2020. APIran will recognize doctors and nurses who die combating the new coronavirus as ``martyrs'' like slain soldiers, the country's supreme leader announced Tuesday as the outbreak killed 54 more people and pushed the nation's death toll to 291.The decision by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes amid a propaganda campaign already trying to link the fight against the virus to Iran's long, bloody 1980s war with Iraq. The rising casualty figures each day in Iran suggest the fight against the new coronavirus is far from over, even as more people die from drinking methanol in the false belief it kills the virus.Across the Mideast, over 8,600 people have contracted the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes. The majority come from hard-hit Iran, which has one of the world's worst death tolls outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing he

114 countries, territories restricting entry from coronavirus-hit Korea

A total of 114 countries and territories were imposing entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures for people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns on Wednesday, as three Caribbean nations have newly joined the list. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulA total of 114 countries and territories were imposing entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures for people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns on Wednesday, as three Caribbean nations have newly joined the list.As of 9 a.m., 43 countries and territories were barring the entry of travelers who have been in South Korea, China, Japan and other virus-hit countries, up from the previous day's tally of 40, according to the foreign ministry website.The Bahamas has imposed an entry ban on foreigners who have visited Korea in the past 20 days. Haiti is currently barring the entry of people from at least six virus-affected countries, including Korea, with a record of visits in the past two weeks.Grenada was moved to the list from the countries imposing a 14-day isolation. Saint Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation

Korea reports 242 new virus cases, total now at 7,755

South Korea reported 242 new cases of the new coronavirus on Wednesday, up from 131 new cases a day earlier, bringing the nation's total infections to 7,755. YonhapSouth Korea reported 242 new cases of the new coronavirus on Wednesday, up from 131 new cases a day earlier, bringing the nation's total infections to 7,755. Confirmed cases showed no signs of a slowdown in the southeastern city of Daegu and capital Seoul.So far, 60 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying illnesses, have died in South Korea from the respiratory virus that emerged in China late last year, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.About 63 percent of confirmed cases have been linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in Daegu, which, with a population of 2.5 million, is the country's fourth-largest city. The pace of daily new inflections had shown signs of slowing in recent days as health authorities completed extensive testing of 210,000 Shincheonji followers who are at the center of the rapid spread, but authorities are still on high alert over new clusters of infe

Digital mask-supply services kick off in Korea

Various South Korean providers launched digital services providing real-time information about the availability of face masks at designated stores on Wednesday as the country strives to solve a mask supply crunch amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. YonhapVarious South Korean providers launched digital services providing real-time information about the availability of face masks at designated stores on Wednesday as the country strives to solve a mask supply crunch amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Ten mobile application and online service developers have started to offer information on mask stockpiles at state-designated retailers, according to the National Information Society Agency. An open application programming interface (API) has been publicly available since Tuesday evening, allowing programmers to create various online and mobile services using the country's data on face masks. Such mobile apps and web services show the locations of authorized stores and how many masks they have in stock, helping people avoid visiting multiple stores to make their purchases. They will disp

Seoul reports cluster infection with 90 confirmed cases

South Korea has reported 90 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus linked to a call center in southwestern Seoul. YonhapSouth Korea has reported 90 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus linked to a call center in southwestern Seoul, the capital's mayor said Wednesday, spawning concerns about potential mass transmission in the metropolitan area.The cases marked the biggest COVID-19 infection cluster in the metropolitan area, home to 25 million, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon told a radio program.Among the cases, he added, Seoul accounted for the highest number of infections with 62 patients, followed by 15 in Incheon, west of Seoul, and 13 in Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)

KBS main building temporarily closes after cleaner tests positive for COVID-19

KBS / Courtesy of KBSBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea's largest broadcaster KBS temporarily closed its main building in Seoul Tuesday after a cleaner who works there tested positive for COVID-19.The employee of KBS Business, the company's subsidiary, was confirmed Monday to have been infected with the coronavirus. KBS said 11 people, who had been in close contact with her, have quarantined themselves since.A source, who refused to be named, said KBS temporarily closed its two buildings, including the main one, for 24 hours for disinfection and told the staff there to work in their homes.“Shutting down the building was unavoidable because the woman was responsible for cleaning the buildings. More staff members are waiting for test results,” the source said.

Call center becomes biggest infection cluster in Seoul

People outside Korea Building, where group transmissions were reported on Monday, in Guro District, Seoul, line up to have the coronavirus test, Tuesday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongAn insurance company call center in southwestern Seoul is now a hotbed for COVID-19 infections in the Seoul metropolitan area, with 64 employees, their family members and acquaintances confirmed to have contracted the virus.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, this was the largest case of group transmission in the city and the number of cases is expected to rise.Of 64, it's unclear how many are employees of Metanet Mplanform call center in Guro District, outsourced by Ace Insurance. The company's Korea Building has been closed and quarantine officials are conducting tests on everyone who visited it. ACE Insurance is part of the Chubb global insurance group. The quarantine authorities are tracking down the itinerary of the first confirmed infected employee, a woman in her 50s living in Nowon District, who has not visited China or Daegu and is not a member of the Shincheonji Church. The confi

New coronavirus infections drop for 4th day

Chinese students leave the building where they were quarantined for the last two weeks at Danguk University's campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday./ YonhapBy Kim Se-jeong The number of new coronavirus cases declined for the fourth straight day, Monday, with the daily total only rising by 131, according to government officials, Tuesday.The total number of COVID-19 patients in Korea on Monday was 7,513, with 60 fatalities. During a daily press conference, an official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the COVID-19 spread has entered a “stagnation” phase.“Given that the number of confirmed cases is decreasing every day, it can be said that the virus spread has stagnated. This only means that there are fewer new cases. There are still 100 new cases and quarantine authorities will discover more. It's still far from saying we're safe,” said the official, Yoon Tae-ho. The last time the daily tally of new cases was lower than 200 was Feb. 25.The ministry official also warned of the possibility of group transmission. “We still see reports o