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Once a Covid success story, South Korea sweats through summer of Delta surge
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Michael Ejercito
Jul 29, 2021, 9:12:44 PM7/29/21
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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/29/once-a-covid-success-story-south-korea-sweats-through-summer-of-delta-surge
Once a Covid success story, South Korea sweats through summer of Delta surge
A health worker rests inside a booth as she conducts a coronavirus
disease test at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, South Korea
A health worker rests inside a booth as she conducts a coronavirus
disease test at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, South Korea
Photograph: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
As infections soar to record highs and the vaccine rollout languishes,
some fear there is no end in sight for the pandemic
See all our coronavirus coverage
Steven Borowiec in Seoul
Wed 28 Jul 2021 19.01 EDT
Park Eun-sun is facing the most challenging set of circumstances since
going into business for herself in August of 2020.
Having kicked off Nostimo, her restaurant in southern Seoul, during the
coronavirus pandemic, Park has had to work harder to attract customers
who were reluctant to eat out during a public health crisis, while
complying with an evolving set of social distancing mandates that
dictate how many diners she can host and when she can open her doors.
Now Park is suffering through the toughest restrictions since the start
of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to an ongoing flareup in cases in the
South Korean capital, restaurants must close at 10pm and can only have
parties of one or two patrons for dinner service.
Gym members use a treadmill at a fitness club in Seoul
No Permission to Dance: South Korea Covid rules enforce slower music in gyms
Read more
“Although thankfully Korea has not gone into full lockdown, our fate so
far has been influenced by government policy,” Park said.
She is waiting for more of South Korea’s population to get vaccinated, a
process she and many others have found frustratingly slow. “Since
restaurants are still open, it would be nice if restaurant owners and
employees would be higher on the priority list for the vaccine.
Unfortunately this has not been the case,” she said.
In the early stages of the pandemic, South Korea for a time had the
largest outbreak in the world outside China. The country drew
international admiration for quickly reining in the first wave of
infections through an aggressive campaign of testing and contact
tracing, all without ever enacting stringent lockdown measures like
mandatory business closures.
That sheen has come off, as more than a year later, South Korea is
suffering through its worst wave of coronavirus infections yet, having
logged 1,896 new cases on Wednesday, the country’s highest daily figure
ever.
The national government, led by President Moon Jae-in is the target of
public discontent, with critics accusing Moon and the ruling party of
congratulating themselves on those successful early virus containment
measures while failing to secure sufficient supplies of vaccines to
allow a return to normal life.
South Korea currently ranks second-to-last among OECD member countries,
with only 13.49% of its population fully vaccinated, and critics have
argued that the government dragged its feet in rolling out the national
vaccination campaign, leaving the public and small businesses to cope
with near lockdown measures that have hurt the economy and quality of life.
South Korean PM Kim Boo-kyum takes part in a social distancing campaign
against the coronavirus in western Seoul
South Korea records highest Covid case numbers as wave of infections
sweeps Asia Pacific
Read more
The government has signed deals with overseas providers to acquire
AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but supply shortages and
delayed shipments have caused hiccups in the rollout.
Advertisement
Federal workers must be vaccinated or submit to Covid testing and distancing
“The current situation of strict social distancing could have been
avoided if the government had taken a more long-term approach,” said
Shin Eui-cheol, a professor at the KAIST Graduate School of Medical
Science & Engineering.
“One year ago, the number of daily cases was only about 100 and they
were satisfied with that, thinking that we could just control the
pandemic. They should have looked ahead and come up with a more active
strategy to try to terminate the pandemic by acquiring enough vaccines
much earlier,” Shin said.
Adding to the discomfort, the current virus spike is coinciding with an
extreme heatwave, with temperatures in South Korean cities having been
in the mid- to high thirties amid high humidity over the past week.
Late July is also the customary peak of holiday season in South Korea,
and pandemic-related strictures on travel have meant more people are
either staying home or taking domestic trips instead of going abroad. To
limit the spread of the coronavirus, in popular holiday destinations on
the coast, local officials have banned access to beaches for set periods
each day and banned eating and drinking on the beach.
The social distancing measures and many companies’ work-from-home
directives have left the streets of Seoul, a typically bustling city, empty.
Han River Park in Seoul, South Korea, where Covid cases are at record highs
Han River Park in Seoul, South Korea, where Covid cases are at record
highs Photograph: Chris Jung/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock
At Nostimo, Park prepares authentic Greek dishes, with many ingredients
sourced from a farm outside the city.
She says that with South Koreans unable to take trips abroad due to the
pandemic, Nostimo has enjoyed strong demand from grounded travellers.
“Our restaurant has benefited from visits by Koreans and non-Koreans
alike wishing to have authentic international food experiences without
getting on a plane,” she said.
Throughout the pandemic, one group that has struggled has been the
medical workers that have led the response to the crisis, often working
long hours while risking exposure to infection. Doctors have fought with
the government over pay and working conditions, and accused the
government of taking credit for their work.
“Doctors and nurses who have been treating Covid-19 patients have been
under a lot of stress, nearing burnout status,” said Park Jae-young, a
medical doctor and Executive Editor of the Korean Doctors’ Weekly.
Park said that instead of looking forward to a “post-pandemic era”
medical professionals are bracing for a future where the coronavirus
remains a part of their work and life. “Considering the characteristics
of the coronavirus - its transmission power, mutation patterns, and the
vaccination rate - it seems that we will live with its effects virtually
forever,” he said.
“It will be impossible for a very, very long time to come for tens of
thousands of people to take off their masks and gather on a soccer field
to cheer, or shake hands with strangers and have heated discussions in
pubs.”
--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com
Once a Covid success story, South Korea sweats through summer of Delta surge
A health worker rests inside a booth as she conducts a coronavirus
disease test at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, South Korea
A health worker rests inside a booth as she conducts a coronavirus
disease test at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, South Korea
Photograph: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
As infections soar to record highs and the vaccine rollout languishes,
some fear there is no end in sight for the pandemic
See all our coronavirus coverage
Steven Borowiec in Seoul
Wed 28 Jul 2021 19.01 EDT
Park Eun-sun is facing the most challenging set of circumstances since
going into business for herself in August of 2020.
Having kicked off Nostimo, her restaurant in southern Seoul, during the
coronavirus pandemic, Park has had to work harder to attract customers
who were reluctant to eat out during a public health crisis, while
complying with an evolving set of social distancing mandates that
dictate how many diners she can host and when she can open her doors.
Now Park is suffering through the toughest restrictions since the start
of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to an ongoing flareup in cases in the
South Korean capital, restaurants must close at 10pm and can only have
parties of one or two patrons for dinner service.
Gym members use a treadmill at a fitness club in Seoul
No Permission to Dance: South Korea Covid rules enforce slower music in gyms
Read more
“Although thankfully Korea has not gone into full lockdown, our fate so
far has been influenced by government policy,” Park said.
She is waiting for more of South Korea’s population to get vaccinated, a
process she and many others have found frustratingly slow. “Since
restaurants are still open, it would be nice if restaurant owners and
employees would be higher on the priority list for the vaccine.
Unfortunately this has not been the case,” she said.
In the early stages of the pandemic, South Korea for a time had the
largest outbreak in the world outside China. The country drew
international admiration for quickly reining in the first wave of
infections through an aggressive campaign of testing and contact
tracing, all without ever enacting stringent lockdown measures like
mandatory business closures.
That sheen has come off, as more than a year later, South Korea is
suffering through its worst wave of coronavirus infections yet, having
logged 1,896 new cases on Wednesday, the country’s highest daily figure
ever.
The national government, led by President Moon Jae-in is the target of
public discontent, with critics accusing Moon and the ruling party of
congratulating themselves on those successful early virus containment
measures while failing to secure sufficient supplies of vaccines to
allow a return to normal life.
South Korea currently ranks second-to-last among OECD member countries,
with only 13.49% of its population fully vaccinated, and critics have
argued that the government dragged its feet in rolling out the national
vaccination campaign, leaving the public and small businesses to cope
with near lockdown measures that have hurt the economy and quality of life.
South Korean PM Kim Boo-kyum takes part in a social distancing campaign
against the coronavirus in western Seoul
South Korea records highest Covid case numbers as wave of infections
sweeps Asia Pacific
Read more
The government has signed deals with overseas providers to acquire
AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but supply shortages and
delayed shipments have caused hiccups in the rollout.
Advertisement
Federal workers must be vaccinated or submit to Covid testing and distancing
“The current situation of strict social distancing could have been
avoided if the government had taken a more long-term approach,” said
Shin Eui-cheol, a professor at the KAIST Graduate School of Medical
Science & Engineering.
“One year ago, the number of daily cases was only about 100 and they
were satisfied with that, thinking that we could just control the
pandemic. They should have looked ahead and come up with a more active
strategy to try to terminate the pandemic by acquiring enough vaccines
much earlier,” Shin said.
Adding to the discomfort, the current virus spike is coinciding with an
extreme heatwave, with temperatures in South Korean cities having been
in the mid- to high thirties amid high humidity over the past week.
Late July is also the customary peak of holiday season in South Korea,
and pandemic-related strictures on travel have meant more people are
either staying home or taking domestic trips instead of going abroad. To
limit the spread of the coronavirus, in popular holiday destinations on
the coast, local officials have banned access to beaches for set periods
each day and banned eating and drinking on the beach.
The social distancing measures and many companies’ work-from-home
directives have left the streets of Seoul, a typically bustling city, empty.
Han River Park in Seoul, South Korea, where Covid cases are at record highs
Han River Park in Seoul, South Korea, where Covid cases are at record
highs Photograph: Chris Jung/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock
At Nostimo, Park prepares authentic Greek dishes, with many ingredients
sourced from a farm outside the city.
She says that with South Koreans unable to take trips abroad due to the
pandemic, Nostimo has enjoyed strong demand from grounded travellers.
“Our restaurant has benefited from visits by Koreans and non-Koreans
alike wishing to have authentic international food experiences without
getting on a plane,” she said.
Throughout the pandemic, one group that has struggled has been the
medical workers that have led the response to the crisis, often working
long hours while risking exposure to infection. Doctors have fought with
the government over pay and working conditions, and accused the
government of taking credit for their work.
“Doctors and nurses who have been treating Covid-19 patients have been
under a lot of stress, nearing burnout status,” said Park Jae-young, a
medical doctor and Executive Editor of the Korean Doctors’ Weekly.
Park said that instead of looking forward to a “post-pandemic era”
medical professionals are bracing for a future where the coronavirus
remains a part of their work and life. “Considering the characteristics
of the coronavirus - its transmission power, mutation patterns, and the
vaccination rate - it seems that we will live with its effects virtually
forever,” he said.
“It will be impossible for a very, very long time to come for tens of
thousands of people to take off their masks and gather on a soccer field
to cheer, or shake hands with strangers and have heated discussions in
pubs.”
--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com
HeartDoc Andrew
Jul 30, 2021, 12:27:51 AM7/30/21
to
S. Korea & elsewhere is by rapidly ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 )
finding out at any given moment, including even while on-line, who
among us are unwittingly contagious (i.e pre-symptomatic or
asymptomatic) in order to http://bit.ly/convince_it_forward (John
15:12) for them to call their doctor and self-quarantine per their
doctor in hopes of stopping this pandemic. Thus, we're hoping for the
best while preparing for the worse-case scenario of the Alpha lineage
mutations and others like the Gamma, Beta, Epsilon, Iota, Lambda &
Delta lineage mutations combining to form hybrids that render current
COVID vaccines no longer effective.
Indeed, I am wonderfully hungry ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 )
and hope you, Michael, also have a healthy appetite too.
So how are you ?
...because we mindfully choose to openly care with our heart,
HeartDoc Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Cardiologist with an http://HeartMDPhD.com/EternalMedicalLicense
2024 & upwards non-partisan candidate for U.S. President:
http://HeartMDPhD.com/WonderfullyHungryPresident
and author of the 2PD-OMER Approach:
http://HeartMDPhD.com/HeartDocAndrewCare
which is the only **healthy** cure for the U.S. healthcare crisis
Michael Ejercito
Jul 30, 2021, 9:58:51 AM7/30/21
to
Michael
HeartDoc Andrew
Jul 30, 2021, 10:53:36 AM7/30/21
to
MichaelE wrote:
> I am wonderfully hungry!
While wonderfully hungry in the Holy Spirit, Who causes (Deuteronomy
8:3) us to hunger, I note that you, Michael, not only don't have
COVID-19 but are rapture (Luke 17:37) ready and pray (2 Chronicles
7:14) that our Everlasting (Isaiah 9:6) Father in Heaven continues to
give us "much more" (Luke 11:13) Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so
that we'd have much more of His Help to always say/write that we're
"wonderfully hungry" in **all** ways including especially caring to
http://bit.ly/convince_it_forward (John 15:12 as shown by
http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 ) with all glory (
http://bit.ly/Psalm117_ ) to GOD (aka HaShem, Elohim, Abba, DEO), in
the name (John 16:23) of LORD Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.
Laus DEO !
Suggested further reading:
https://groups.google.com/g/sci.med.cardiology/c/5EWtT4CwCOg/m/QjNF57xRBAAJ
Shorter link:
http://bit.ly/StatCOVID-19Test
Be hungrier, which really is wonderfully healthier especially for
diabetics and other heart disease patients:
http://HeartMDPhD.com/HeartDocAndrewToutsHunger (Luke 6:21a) with all
glory ( http://HeartMDPhD.com/Psalm117_ ) to GOD, Who causes us to
hunger (Deuteronomy 8:3) when He blesses us right now (Luke 6:21a)
thereby removing the http://HeartMDPhD.com/VAT from around the heart
...because we mindfully choose to openly care with our heart,
HeartDoc Andrew <><
While wonderfully hungry in the Holy Spirit, Who causes (Deuteronomy
8:3) us to hunger, I note that you, Michael, not only don't have
COVID-19 but are rapture (Luke 17:37) ready and pray (2 Chronicles
7:14) that our Everlasting (Isaiah 9:6) Father in Heaven continues to
give us "much more" (Luke 11:13) Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so
that we'd have much more of His Help to always say/write that we're
"wonderfully hungry" in **all** ways including especially caring to
http://bit.ly/convince_it_forward (John 15:12 as shown by
http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 ) with all glory (
http://bit.ly/Psalm117_ ) to GOD (aka HaShem, Elohim, Abba, DEO), in
the name (John 16:23) of LORD Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.
Laus DEO !
Suggested further reading:
https://groups.google.com/g/sci.med.cardiology/c/5EWtT4CwCOg/m/QjNF57xRBAAJ
Shorter link:
http://bit.ly/StatCOVID-19Test
Be hungrier, which really is wonderfully healthier especially for
diabetics and other heart disease patients:
http://HeartMDPhD.com/HeartDocAndrewToutsHunger (Luke 6:21a) with all
glory ( http://HeartMDPhD.com/Psalm117_ ) to GOD, Who causes us to
hunger (Deuteronomy 8:3) when He blesses us right now (Luke 6:21a)
thereby removing the http://HeartMDPhD.com/VAT from around the heart
...because we mindfully choose to openly care with our heart,
HeartDoc Andrew <><
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