Tag: COVID-19

The wintertime surge that happened last year after the holidays appears to not be happening this year:

South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fell for the sixth consecutive day Monday amid concerns over a wintertime surge, with the government beginning to require a PCR test for travelers from China as the virus spreads in the neighboring country.

The country confirmed 22,735 new coronavirus infections, including 35 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,139,535, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The daily caseload has been on a steady decline since Tuesday when the figure jumped to 87,578. Monday’s figure is smaller than 25,531 infections a week earlier.

The country added 53 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,272. The death rate stood at 0.11 percent.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is official, the COVID vaccine mandate has been repealed for all U.S. service members:

But the bill also ends one of Biden’s former top priorities in making the coronavirus mandatory for U.S. service members. Republican lawmakers successfully included the measure that rescinds Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s August 2021 order requiring troops to receive the coronavirus inoculation or face punishment, including dismissal from the military. Some 8,200 service members were discharged from the military this year for refusing the vaccine. 

Republicans also tried to include a measure in the NDAA that would force the military services to reinstate those service members who were discharged because of the mandate, but that effort failed. 

The Pentagon has not said what it plans to do now that the vaccine requirement has been ended. Defense Department spokespeople this week said they could not yet comment on the issue.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It looks like China is experiencing what most of the world already went through one to two years ago. The protests must have been a shock to the CCP to so quickly drop their prior COVID Zero policy:

Beijing’s rapidly spreading COVID outbreak has turned the Chinese capital of 22 million people into a virtual ghost town as stores close and restaurants empty, underscoring the cost of President Xi Jinping’s sudden pivot away from COVID zero.

Bucking expectations for a managed and gradual transition, Xi’s government is now allowing the virus to run rampant. While officials have abandoned efforts to track case numbers, anecdotal evidence suggests entire families and offices in Beijing have become infected in the span of just days — a potential harbinger of worse things to come in other parts of China with less-developed health care systems.

Beijing residents are hunkering down at home, either because they’re scared of catching the virus or because they already have it. While many grocery stores are still open to provide essentials, delivery services for food and other goods are facing delays with workers out sick. The retrenchment suggests China’s economy is likely to get worse before the benefits of exiting COVID zero start to kick in next year.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

South Korea’s daily COVID rate continues to remain at a manageable level. At this point it seems the government should provide weekly instead of daily updates just to stop the COVID fear:

South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fell below 60,000 Sunday due to fewer tests a day earlier amid concerns of a surge in cases during the winter season.

The country reported 58,862 new COVID-19 infections, including 85 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,188,293, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The daily caseload jumped to over 86,830 on Tuesday, the highest in three months, from 25,657 a day ago but it had been on the decline to 66,930 on Saturday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

People in Korea may have to wait until after the holidays before any relief on the indoor mask mandate happens:

Korea may lift the indoor mask mandate, one of its last Covid restrictions, as early as January.  
   
Still, masks are likely to be required in hospitals and on public transport.  
   
Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Peck Kyong-ran announced Wednesday that the government will ease the indoor mask-wearing rule early next year. The only other major Covid restriction still in force is the mandatory seven-day quarantine for confirmed patients. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but what is happening is that the government officials are going to wait until after the holiday travel period and see if another COVID wave happens. If one does then don’t expect to have the mask mandate lifted.

It looks like the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all DOD service members may soon be coming to an end if this legislation passes and is signed by the President:

The final version of the fiscal 2023 defense authorization bill is likely to rescind Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III’s August 2021 memo ordering COVID-19 vaccines for most troops, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.

Ending the requirement, under which service members who aren’t fully vaccinated are subject to discharge, has been a top priority of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and other senior Republicans in both chambers. McCarthy raised the issue with President Joe Biden in a meeting last week and reiterated over the weekend that the mandate should be repealed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Even if the ROK government lifts the indoor mask mandate I think most people will still be wearing masks indoors anyway. It just seems people are not so conditioned to wearing masks that they actually prefer to wear them indoors now:

A debate has reignited over the indoor face mask mandate following a move by the Daejeon city government to lift the requirement in the region, going against the nationwide directive that has been in place for over two years.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has requested the city government to refrain from making unilateral decisions in COVID-19 response measures. But Daejeon’s move has added pressure on the government to expedite its discussions on dropping the mask mandate, as the country is experiencing a less threatening winter surge than previous years.

The nationwide requirement to wear masks in indoor spaces such as offices, cafes, hospitals and public transportation was first implemented in October 2020. After the outdoor mask mandate was lifted in May of this year, there have been growing calls among the pandemic-weary public that the government should begin to ease the indoor requirement as well.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Let’s hope that South Korea doesn’t start implementing COVID restrictions again due to increasing case counts:

South Korea’s new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 50,000 on Saturday amid concerns of a possible resurgence in the winter.

The country reported 50,589 new COVID-19 infections, including 50 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,512,754, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. 

The Saturday tally increased from 49,418 on Friday but was down 3,739 cases from a week ago. 

From Monday to Thursday, South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases hit two-month highs each day, causing authorities to closely watch for the possibility of another virus wave in the wintertime.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Another example of South Korea trying to get back to normal in the wake of steeply declining COVID rates:

Starting Tuesday, people will be allowed to visit their elderly relatives at long-term care facilities in person. Elderly people who receive their second booster of a COVID-19 vaccine will also be permitted to leave their facility and stay out overnight. 

Due to the COVID-19 resurgence this summer, in-person visits were suspended in late July.

A steady decrease in the daily number of infections and a more than 90-percent rate of vaccination with the second booster of the residents of such facilities has led the government to decide to loosen restrictions, the Central Disaster Management Headquarters (CDMH) said Friday.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.