The government plans to ease social distancing rules but maintain the vaccine mandate, for the time being, officials said on Tuesday.Health authorities are now gathering opinions from experts in various walks of life to announce a revised quarantine system this Friday, a top quarantine official said
As the Omicron wave approaches its peak in Korea, a report has called for the government to gradually revise the quarantine system according to the characteristics of the new variant.Park Sang-yun, a legislative investigator at the National Assembly Research Service, made these and other points in h
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said it found a sole bidder to carry out the national research project to develop an inhaled Covid-19 treatment after opening the bid late last year.Industry watchers pay attention to whether this research will lead to a second homegrown Covid-19 treat
Many epidemiological experts say that the quarantine authorities should focus on severely ill Covid-19 patients instead of the spread of the Omicron variants itself, citing the strain’s relatively lower mortality rate.However, according to some experts, there are some risks in this strategy.Appearin
The government began to provide the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 1.8 million people with weakened immunity systems on Monday.“From today, we will offer the fourth shot to people whose immune system has weakened due to underlying conditions or taking immunosuppressants, the Covid-19 Vaccina
As the Covid-19 prolongs, online classes and home treatments have also taken root in Korean society.However, an increasing number of Korean children and adolescents are finding it hard to adjust to the new environment, getting stressed with falling academic performances, and feeling disappointed wit
One after another, Korean infectious disease experts agree that the spread of the Omicron variant has become “inevitable” because co-existence with Covid-19 is the best way to end it.Therefore, at stake is how to control the ongoing “Omicron wave” to the extent that the medical system can handle and
Following the FDA's review last year, the European health authorities started reviewing safety concerns over JAK inhibitors, used to treat chronic inflammatory disorders.Depending on the European Medicines Agency’s review, the EMA hinted it could change the marketing approval of existing JAK inhibit
Even with the number of new confirmed cases rising above 50,000 due to the Omicron pandemic, the government continued to send messages hinting at relaxing quarantine measures."We will make a decision any time when we determine that the severe patients and death rates are stable and we can manage the
As the Omicron wave approached a peak, the government shifted to a new at-home treatment system focusing on the high-risk group on Thursday, leaving both patients and local health officials embarrassed about what to do.The country reported 54,122 new Covid-19 infections, including 54,034 local cases
After the EU temporarily suspended using titanium dioxide (TiO2) as food additives citing hereditary toxicity, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is investigating its use by Korean companies, drawing the industry’s attention.Under the ministry’s recent decision, the Korea Pharmaceutical and
As the escalating Omicron wave overwhelms health workers and quarantine officials, Korea will implement a new at-home treatment system focusing on high-risk Covid-19 patients 60 or older and those with preexisting medical conditions from Thursday.Quarantine authorities will make daily checkups only
Pharmaceutical industry officials are paying attention to how the Korean government will manage health insurance benefits for medicines that cure diseases with a single injection but cost millions of dollars.Recently, the government said it would review introducing a new reimbursement system exclusi
The ruling and opposition parties are seeking to allow voters confirmed to have Covid-19 or those in self-quarantine to cast ballots separately from others from 6-9 p.m. on the presidential election day of March 9.Officials from rival parties said Tuesday that they would hold plenary and subgroup me
Doctors and nurses, the two pillars in Korea’s fights against Covid-19, had long quarreled over nurses’ demand to enact a law to protect their rights amid the pandemic, triggering criticism from the public.Their squabble finally rose to the surface recently.Last Thursday, a group within the Korean M
Embarrassed with the Omicron variant’s faster-than-expected spread, the government has hurriedly revised its medical and quarantine system, including using emergency beds dedicated to Covid-19 and setting up “cohort quarantine areas” in emergency rooms.However, while largely agreeing with its overal
New Covid-19 cases may likely rise up to 170,000 by the end of this month, a top quarantine official forecasted on Monday."According to the Covid-19 outbreak predictions by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and various experts at home and abroad, the number of new virus cases co
As the presidential election is a month away, attention is drawn to how the government will respond to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and what impact it will have on the election results. Officials at the campaign headquarters of the two leading candidates – Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Demo
Quarantine officials talked about the possibility of returning to daily life on Friday, saying they will manage Covid-19 like the seasonal flu."Although the number of new virus cases keeps increasing, we have decided to gradually lift the quarantine regulations and try again to restore daily life --
The government is likely to approve more Covid-19 self-test devices to meet the spiking demand for Covid-19 tests, sources said.Korea Biomedical Review learned on Friday that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) would authorize some Covid-19 home test kits soon.“There are companies that appli