SEOUL, May 7 (Korea Bizwire) — An increasing number of South Koreans are suffering from the “corona blues,” which refers to depression caused by COVID-19. Following the coronavirus outbreak, those in their 20s and 30s have become relatively more prone to depression and even committing suicide than other age groups, a study showed Thursday. The [...]
SEOUL, May 5 (Korea Bizwire) — People who have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in South Korea are exempted from the mandatory 14-day isolation starting Wednesday when arriving here from overseas and when having close contact with virus patients. The new rules will be applied only for those who have been fully inoculated [...]
SEOUL, May 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite the ramped-up vaccine rollout, it will likely be difficult to reach herd immunity against the novel coronavirus, local health experts said Monday. “The COVID-19 virus is likely to be a new normal,” said Oh Myoung-don, head of the country’s central clinical committee for emerging disease control, adding that [...]
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea may soon face a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as less than 10 percent of the country’s AstraZeneca vaccine doses are left, the health authority said Sunday, raising concerns over delays in the nation’s immunization schedule. The nation has secured 2 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses so far, and [...]
SEOUL, April 30 (Korea Bizwire) — With the COVID-19 pandemic putting restrictions on outdoor activities, the number of South Koreans who are having difficulty managing their weight is increasing. The Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KOSSO) conducted a survey of 1,000 men and women over 20 years of age across the country to [...]
SEOUL, April 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly 1 in 6 medical workers treating COVID-19 have experienced depression due to prolonged virus battle, a survey showed Wednesday. Researchers from Ulsan University Hospital and Seoul Asan Medical Center conducted a joint survey of 226 and 298 healthcare workers, respectively, to analyze the psychological impact that the pandemic [...]
SEOUL, April 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will accelerate the COVID-19 vaccine rollout as the country has secured sufficient shots amid supply shortage concerns to achieve herd immunity by November, the country’s acting prime minister said Monday. In a public message, Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki sought to allay public concerns about a shortage [...]
SEOUL, April 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea said Saturday it has signed a deal with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. to import additional Pfizer vaccine doses for 20 million people in a move that could ease public concerns about a vaccine shortage. The deal came after South Korean health minister Kwon Deok-cheol held two [...]
SEOUL, April 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s drug safety agency on Friday granted conditional approval for two types of COVID-19 self-test kits as a supplementary tool to boost its testing capacity amid spiking cases. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said it gave the green light to the test kits, developed by [...]
SEOUL, April 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul National University said Friday it will run weekly coronavirus testing that produces results in about one hour as part of efforts to detect infections quickly and expand in-person classes on campus. It is the first such move by one of the country’s higher education institutions, which have been [...]