SEOUL, May 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The coronavirus pandemic triggered renewed controversy about whether to allow telemedicine services in South Korea, as a doctors’ lobby group warned of “extreme” resistance against telemedicine. Telemedicine is illegal in South Korea, but the nation has allowed doctors to treat coronavirus patients who have mild symptoms via telephone since [...]
SEOUL, May 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s health authorities said Monday that the loss of smell and taste are among the key clinical symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus as the country tries to stem the spread of the infectious disease amid a spike in new cases linked to bars and clubs in Seoul. [...]
SEOUL, May 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea on Monday sent 2 million face masks in emergency assistance to the United States to help its fight against the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The provision of the masks came after President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the two countries’ cooperation in [...]
SEOUL, May 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will conduct coronavirus antibody tests in late May to determine the true extent of coronavirus infections in the country, officials said Sunday. The serology tests on 7,000 people aged 10 or above are also expected to show how many people have immunity against the novel coronavirus. For [...]
SEOUL, May 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is conducting clinical tests for seven existing drugs to see if any of them can effectively treat the new coronavirus, a government official said Friday, noting a positive outcome of the tests may lead to the development of a cure for the virus before the year’s end [...]
SEOUL, May 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The maximum cost of treating a critically ill patient with the new coronavirus in South Korea is estimated at 70 million won (US$57,000), a study showed Thursday. The study, conducted by the state-run National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), said it takes at least 55 million won to treat critical [...]
SEJONG, May 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea reported a more than eight-fold jump in its exports of coronavirus test kits in April, data showed Thursday. The value of test kit exports stood at US$201.2 million last month, compared with $24 million in March, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. So far [...]
SEOUL, May 4 (Korea Bizwire) — After successfully flattening the coronavirus curve, South Korea is transiting this week to a quarantine scheme that allows citizens to return to their daily routines under eased guidelines. But health authorities are still wary of “blind spots” in the fight against the virus — cluster infections and imported cases. [...]
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea said Saturday it is open to importing Remdesivir, an Ebola treatment that has emerged as a new hope in tackling the new coronavirus, if it proves to be effective through clinical tests. “Health authorities are working closely with related bodies to follow up on ongoing clinical tests, [...]
SEOUL, May 1 (Korea Bizwire) — “Should we not have birthday parties with friends?” “Do we have to have surgery if we get sick with the coronavirus?” Unlike the usual tension in the regular briefing room of the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the mood at a special briefing on Wednesday at [...]