S. KOREA RECEIVES NEW BATCH OF ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINES

Highlights –

• S. Korea receives new batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
• S. Korea received new 835,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines.
• S. Korea vaccinated a total of 3.71 million people, or 7.2 percent of the populatio...

S. KOREAN GOVT. TO INTRODUCE NEW COVID-19 SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES

Highlights –

• S. Korean govt. to introduce new COVID-19 social distancing rules.
• The new guidelines will be implemented in July if the country records less than 1,000 cases a day.
• S. Korean health authorities aim to vaccinate 12 millio...

COVID-19 SELF-TEST KITS GIVEN CONDITIONAL APPROVAL IN S. KOREA

Highlights –

• COVID-19 self-test kits given conditional approval in S. Korea.
• The test kits are developed by two biotech firms, SD Biosensor and Humasis.
• The tool however has a low accuracy rate compared to PCR tests.
• The te...

HEALTH CARE WORKERS, AIRLINE CREW TO GET VACCINATED IN S. KOREA

Highlights –

• Health care workers, airline crew to get vaccinated in S. Korea.
• S. Korea will give AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
• AstraZeneca’s vaccine will not be given to people under the age of 30.
• Doctor...

CHINA SAW RECORD GROWTH IN ECONOMY BY 18.3% IN Q1 OF 2021

Highlights –

• China saw record growth in economy by 18.3% in Q1 of 2021.
• China is reported to have shown V-shaped economic recovery.
• The IMF has projected the Chinese economy to grow 8.4 percent in 2021.
• In Q1 China’s ...

47 CASES OF ANAPHYLAXIS FOUND AMONG VACCINATED HEALTH WORKERS IN JAPAN

Highlights –

• 47 cases of anaphylaxis found among vaccinated health workers in Japan.
• The allergic reaction is said to be from Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine.
• The ministry however reported that everyone had recovered and there wa...

SEOUL GOVT. REPORTS AROUND 80 NEW FOREIGNERS’ TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Highlights –

• Seoul govt. reports around 80 new foreigners’ tests positive for COVID-19.
• The local government has been testing all foreign nationals living in the city 40 kilometers.
• Around 509 people got tested on Sunday, among ...

S. KOREA REPORTS 110 FACTORY WORKERS TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Highlights –

• S. Korea reports 110 factory workers test positive for COVID-19.
• Jingwan General Industrial Complex, a factory located at Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.
• A foreign employee tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital in cent...

JAPAN GOVT. DECIDES TO CONTINUE THE STATE OF EMERGENCY THIS WEEK

Highlights –

• Japan govt. decides to continue the state of emergency this week.
• Hospitals in the country continue to be under pressure with severe COVID-19 infection cases.
• Aichi and Gifu prefectures have been eyeing for an early exit ...

S. KOREAN GOVT. TO HAVE COVID-19 VACCINATIONS TO 70% OF ITS POPULATION BY SEPT.

Highlights –

• S. Korean govt. to have COVID-19 vaccinations to 70% of its population by Sept.
• The country is said to start its first vaccination next month.
• High-risk health care workers at hospitals, sanatoriums, and elderly care faci...

SOUTH KOREA IN GRIPS WITH REALITY SECURES COVID-19 VACCINE FOR 44M PEOPLE

• South Korea has arrived at an early lead with access to COVID-19 vaccines developed by four pharmaceutical companies and from a global vaccine project for 44 million people, the health ministry said Tuesday.
• The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it has preordered 64 million d...

GOVERNMENT SHIFTS GAZE TO TERMINALLY ILL AND ELDERLY COVID-19 PATIENTS REDUCING MORTALITY RATES

• The government has shifted gaze from COVID-19 quarantine policies of preventing new cases to lowering death rates, the health authorities said Monday.
• As the country has changed ideologies by coexisting with the coronavirus, government officials are looking at management of the...

SOUTH KOREA TO PERSEVERE WITH FLU SHOTS AS NO DIRECT FATAL LINKS ESTABLISHED

• South Korea's health officials said Saturday they will continue with free flu shots program despite dozens of recent deaths after vaccinations, as they found no real links between vaccines and fatalities.
• The number of deaths after administration of flu shots jumped to 48 a...

SOUTH KOREAN DOCTORS HEADSTRONG IN GOING AHEAD WITH STRIKE

• South Korean doctors on Saturday refused to halt their agitation over health reform bills, even after the government announced it would delay the most differing views of the plan until after the current coronavirus crisis.
• In a public message Saturday decrying the strike called...