Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said Thursday that the government is changing its quarantine strategy according to the characteristics of the Omicron variant, dismissing any political implications behind the recently eased restrictions.“There are criticisms about the government’s send
Janssen’s Erleada (apalutamide) and Astellas’ Xtandi (enzalutamide) passed the review of the Cancer Drugs Benefit Appraisal Committee for health insurance benefits as combination therapy with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to treat metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).In contrast
The nation’s new virus cases topped 170,000 on Wednesday amid the increase of severely ill patients. Still, government officials attempted to emphasize “positive factors,” citing the low mortality rate of the Omicron variant. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, new virus ca
Evaluating that Covid-19 is in the early stages of becoming an endemic disease, the government said Tuesday that it would push for recovering daily life if it can stably manage the situation.“Korea is at the beginning stage of the transition toward managing Covid-19 like an endemic while continuing
Tired of the prolonging Covid-19 and loosened by the Omicron variant’s low severity and fatality, some Koreans demand the government lift virus restrictions to let more people get infected and get out of the pandemic.However, according to most experts, nothing could be more dangerous if the abrupt a
In what appears to be a refutation to criticism about the Korean-made self-test kits, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has come forward to defend their qualities and functions.In a press release last Friday, the ministry said that in approving the domestic Covid-19 self-test kits, the regulator
The United States and some other countries are easing rules for wearing masks, judging that the Omicron wave’s peak is over. However, Korean officials drew the line on the matter, saying it is the last issue to consider.“As we reorganize the overall quarantine system to suit the Omicron variant, the
Just 16 days are left before the election to pick the 20th president of the Republic of Korea. Therefore, the council of professional journalists covering the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a debate on major candidates’ health-welfare policies by inviting four major parties – the Democratic Par
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) said it opened an online registration site for Medical Korea 2022, the nation’s largest healthcare conference, at www.medicalkorea2022.kr.Medical Korea 2022, hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and organized by the KHIDI, will run in-p
As the Omicron variant’s spread progresses far faster than expected, an expert has predicted Korea might follow the footstep of Europe, where governments had to take lockdown measures.Suppose the new Covid-19 cases rise explosively in a short period. In that case, the expert said the current social
The government decided on Friday to extend the business hours of cafes and restaurants by one hour, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., but keep the cap on private gatherings to the current six people.Store owners also will no longer have to keep visitor entry logs based on QR codes, phone calls, or handwritten
The government decided Friday to ease part of the social distancing rules amid the steep rise of Covid-19 infections due to the Omicron variant’s rapid spread, triggering criticisms that it “made the worst move.”Critics said that when the daily virus cases are surging, relaxing restrictions will lea
As an increasing number of medical workers get infected by Covid-19 amid the Omicron variant’s rapid spread, concerns are mounting among some medical residents over whether infected doctors will have to treat patients without quarantine.The Ministry of Health and Welfare hurriedly put the matter to
Quarantine officials’ concerns are continuing to grow over which to prioritize between quarantine controls and supports for self-employed people.On Thursday, the government held a video conference of the Covid-19 Daily Life Recovery Support Committee composed of economic, social, self-autonomic, and
The spread of the seasonal flu virus has shown a hiatus over the past two years, as people wear face masks and maintain social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.However, suppose the government eases these restrictions from the second half of this year. In that case, the novel coronavirus may c
With the presidential election less than three weeks away, various health- and medicine-related groups, such as doctors, nurses, nursing aides, and patients, declared their support to major candidates.On Tuesday, 309 doctors from South Gyeongsang Provincial Medical Association voiced their support f
The government will “not obligate but encourage” students to undergo Covid-19 tests for in-person classes, its top education policymaker said.Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye said so while revealing the ministry’s plan to provide 60.5 million self-test kits to kindergartners and students and teachers
Korea’s new virus cases rose steeply to break the 90,000 mark for the first time on Wednesday, triggering heated debate over the government’s decision to ease social distancing curbs later this week.The country reported 90,443 new Covid-19 infections, including 90,281 local cases, raising the total
The Omicron wave will likely reach a tipping point in the first week of March, when the number of daily infections could rise up to 250,000.Jung Jae-hun, a professor of preventive medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine, made the forecast appearing on a live broadcast on Tuesday. The live
The government has prepared to relax regulations on the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), allowing doctors other than psychiatrists to prescribe the drug multiple times as long as a one-time prescription does not exceed 60 days.Welcoming the move, neurologists urged th