The number of medical tourists visiting Korea expanded 24.6 percent year-on-year in 2021, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, government data showed.However, foreign patients seeking dermatology care decreased, and the proportion of medical tourists visiting the Seoul metropolitan area also fell last yea
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety released the results of the expert review on SK Bioscience’s SKYCovione (pipeline name: GBP510), the nation’s first homegrown Covid-19 vaccine, and said the data was sufficient to confirm approval.However, some criticized the government, saying it unfairly and pr
The declining pace of Covid-19 cases has slowed somewhat in Korea due partly to the largest inflows from abroad since March, quarantine officials said Friday.Among the 7,227 newly confirmed cases on Friday, 111 cases – 71 Koreans and 40 foreigners -- came from abroad, an increase of 19 from the prev
The government approved the national lot release for 170 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines in 2021, making Korea a factory of Covid-19 vaccines for the globe.On Friday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it published and distributed the 2021 National Lot Release Report.The national lot relea
The two subvariants of the Omicron variant -- BA.4 and BA.5 -- can easily cause infections even in recovered Covid-19 patients and fully vaccinated people, a U.S. study showed.Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that neutralizing antibodies
As the post-sales survey found new adverse reactions for Novartis' psoriasis treatment, Cosentyx (ingredient: secukinumab), the regulatory agency has set about to update the warning label for the treatment.Cosentyx, an interleukin (IL) inhibitor, has received approval to treat plaque psoriasis, psor
International alliances, set up to respond to a global health crisis, failed to play their proper role in containing the Covid-19 pandemic, health experts said.Thus, they said it is urgent to establish a governance system under which the international community can cooperate to fight a global pandem
The government emphasized Wednesday that it is important to follow quarantine rules during the summer vacation period as there is a possibility of a resurgence of Covid-19."We view this summer as an important time that can serve as a fuse for reigniting the pandemic,” Vice Health and Welfare Ministe
For the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19, a large group of international travelers will visit Korea to enjoy Korean healthcare and wellness services.Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said around 800 people from Mongolia and Kazakhstan would visit Korea for medical and wellness care in group
The quarantine authorities said Wednesday that they have confirmed the first monkeypox case.According to the KDCA, the patient, who arrived at Incheon International Airport from Germany at 4 p.m. Tuesday, has tested positive for the virus. The person has been in isolation treatment at Incheon Medica
The quarantine authorities are considering expanding the fourth Covid-19 vaccine shots to all people based on domestic quarantine situations and research results at home and abroad, officials said Tuesday."If the immunity level falls quickly, a virus resurge can also come quickly. However, we could
As the government extended the seven-day quarantine mandate for Covid-19 patients for four more weeks last Friday, officials said they could lift the mandate before June 17 if only six indicators meet their criteria.However, on Monday, experts expressed negative views on terminating the mandatory qu
Recently, a man in his 70s assaulted a physician by wielding a sickle at an emergency room (ER) of a general hospital in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.Enraged by continued violence against healthcare professionals, the medical community blamed the police’s lukewarm response and the law enforcement’s wea
The government decided Friday to prolong the seven-day mandatory quarantine of people infected by the Covid-19 virus for four more weeks, reflecting concerns about a resurge.The current virus spread is manageable, but concerns linger, and Covid-19 deaths have not sufficiently dropped, Prime Minister
Even if Korea has a very high antibody-positive rate, it will be difficult to achieve herd immunity in theory due to new variants and fading antibodies over time, the health authorities said Thursday.“In a situation where mutations occur continuously, even if more than 90 percent of Koreans form ant
The Korean government emphasized the importance of accumulating big data for cancer research, but its failure to support manpower and resources has made the task extremely slow, experts said.Such criticism came at an international symposium, “AI and Big Data in Cancer: from Knowledge to Action,” hos
The government said Wednesday that it would run a pilot project, allowing sick or injured workers in six localities to rest and receive part of their income as sick pay from July 4.The six areas are Jongro-gu in Seoul, Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province, Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province, Suncheon in
Korea’s suicide rate declined slightly in 2020 from 2019, but the country still recorded the highest rate among OECD member nations, with men more likely to take their lives than women, a government report said.According to the 2022 Suicide Prevention White Paper released by the Ministry of Health a
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will limit the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, a treatment for inflammatory diseases, on older adults and other high-risk groups only when existing treatments prove ineffective.“For patients 65 and older, high-risk cardiovascular groups and those with malign
The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) has been analyzing how new reimbursements for antidiabetic combination therapies mixing oral SGLT-2 and DPP-4 inhibitors would affect the national health insurance financing.If the national health insurance covers SGLT-2 inhibitors in combina