ICU 20-day cap for COVID patients, Russia steps up for N Korea nuke talks, and smart bus shelters arrive
K-NEWS BITES
Mon 2021-12-27 (KST)
How special pardon for ex-President Park may affect March election (3 min read)
“With just 75 days before the presidential election, the government’s decision to grant special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye on Friday has risen as a factor that may sway the results of the election. While the main opposition People Power Party welcomed the pardon of their former leader, key party members criticized President Moon Jae-in for making a ‘political move’ to create a divide in the conservative bloc, ahead of the presidential election… The ruling Democratic Party of Korea appears to be concerned that Moon’s decision to grant pardon to his predecessor, who was taken down for power abuse and corruption, would disappoint its supporters.”
[Newsmaker] Yoon’s visit to DMZ draws accusations of armistice violations (3 min read)
“In what appears to be a rare move, the UNC [United Nations Command] publicly said it had begun an investigation into unauthorized activities taking place,,, [during] South Korean presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s [visit to] a front-line division in the Demilitarized Zone… The UNC listed several acts as noncompliance of the Armistice Agreement, including the use of military attire and authorizing additional personnel into the DMZ without the UNC’s approval… In response, Yoon’s presidential campaign said his visit… was conducted with the permission of the Ministry of National Defense… [and Yoon] donned the military uniform under the guidance of the Baekgol Unit.”
Journalists' Survey: Local Press Freedom at Its Best Since 2007 (1 min read)
“A survey of local journalists has rated the nation’s freedom of the press currently stands at its highest level since 2007. The survey released on Thursday by the Korea Press Foundation measured reporting freedom at 3.44 points on a scale from zero to five with five denoting the most amount of rights they think they can attain… Press freedom since 2007 had gradually declined to 2.85 points in 2017 before rebounding to 3.31 points in 2019… The biennial survey was conducted on- and off-line on 2,014 journalists…”
Hospital overload: Korea orders 210 COVID-19 patients to leave ICUs (2 min read)
“The South Korean government is ordering COVID-19 patients out of intensive care units as hospitals across the country continue to face a severe shortage of beds. The executive orders were issued Wednesday afternoon to 210 patients who have been hospitalized in COVID-19 ICUs for longer than 20 days, the Ministry of Health and Welfare confirmed Thursday. The ministry said 71 patients have been moved to non-COVID-19 ICUs or other ‘step-down’ beds providing less intensive care accordingly as of Thursday morning. Patients failing to abide by the order were subject to a fine of up to 1 million won ($842).”
Doctors protest 20-day cap on ICU stay of COVID-19 patients (3 min read)
“Front-line doctors in Korea are calling on the government to retract new guidelines limiting the amount of time COVID-19 patients can be admitted to intensive care to 20 days. In an effort to ease the bed crisis, the government told hospitals last week that it would be imposing a cap of 20 days for how long a COVID-19 patient can stay in an intensive care unit. Beyond the 20-day period, the national health insurance waiver for COVID-19-related treatment costs will end for patients and hospitals will no longer be given aid.”
“Park Hyang, a senior Ministry of Health and Welfare official, told Tuesday’s briefing that based on the data of patients in the country, most patients stopped being infectious after seven days since symptoms appeared, and that by day 20, there was ‘almost no infectivity.’ She said there have been ‘a lot of instances where a patient would remain in ICUs out of insecurity or other circumstances,’ rather than out of necessity, and the updated guidelines would allow hospitals to operate more economically. But this may not necessarily be what is going on at hospitals, according to Eom of Gachon University Medical Center. ‘I don’t think hospitals can afford to let patients overstay as it is. Isolation beds at emergency rooms are full of patients waiting to be admitted into a hospital for an ICU or non-ICU bed,’ he said.”
S. Korea Seeking to Move up Schedule to Purchase COVID-19 Pills (1 min read)
“The government said on Friday that it is talking with foreign developers of antiviral pills so they will be administered to local COVID-19 patients from as early as late January… efforts and talks are underway to move up the date to bring the first batch of COVID-19 oral drugs from the initially planned February… South Korea earlier said it is seeking to secure pills enough to treat 404,000 people but according to authorities, at least 542,000 pills have already been secured, including around 300,000 Paxlovid pills from Pfizer. The other 242,000 pills are produced by rival U.S. company Merck & Co.”
New infections below 6,000 for 2nd day; critical cases at 1,081 (1 min read)
“… Following fewer tests on Christmas Day… [the] country added 5,419 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 607,463… Sunday's tally fell from 5,842 cases on Saturday, 6,233 on Friday and 6,917 on Thursday, apparently helped by antivirus restrictions. The number of critically ill patients slightly fell to 1,081 from a record high of 1,105 a day earlier…. The country added 69 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total to 5,245. The fatality rate stood at 0.86 percent. The country also reported 33 new omicron variant cases, bringing the total to 376… As of Sunday… 82.4 percent had been fully vaccinated, while 29.6 percent had gotten booster shots…”
General COVID Information for residents in Korea:
Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea
Coronavirus Statistics for South Korea
S.Korea, China agree to strengthen ‘substantial cooperation’ on economy, culture (3 min read)
“South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his Chinese counterpart, Le Yucheng, held the virtual session of the ninth Strategic Dialogue on Thursday, the first of its kind since June 2017…. [They] pledged to strengthen ‘substantial cooperation’ in the fields of economy and culture and agreed on the importance of leader-to-leader and high-level exchanges… Thursday’s strategic dialogue also came after a series of high-level meetings between Seoul and Beijing, an apparent move to mend bilateral relations mainly strained by the development of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile battery… The timing is also noteworthy given that Seoul has not yet made an official announcement on whether to join the US-led diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics…”
S. Korea calls in Tokyo diplomat over Japan's push for Fukushima water discharge (1 min read)
‘South Korea's foreign ministry called in a Japanese Embassy official Thursday to express concerns over the operator of Tokyo's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant having filed for approval for its planned release of radioactive water into the ocean… amid growing concerns in South Korea that it could cause health risks and maritime contamination… In April, Japan announced a plan to start discharging the radioactive water into the sea in 2023 in what is expected to be a decadeslong process, as all storage tanks at the Fukushima plant are expected to be full as early as fall of 2022.”
Kim Jong Un impersonator undeterred by threats (1 min read)
“Dragon Kim's… side hustle [is], impersonating the North Korean leader, online with his YouTube channel, KIMJONGUN TV. But is the faux Kim afraid of impersonating someone so powerful, especially after receiving online threats? North Korean supporters say, ‘if you mock our Dear Leader, you will be in trouble, like, big trouble!’
‘I was really scared,’ Dragon Kim admitted to CBS News. But with no serious reprisals after 10 years, he's still at it… ‘When I do Kim Jong Un impersonation, the funny things like the dancing and, you know, in public… I think that just helps to damage his authority.’” The article contains a link to a 2min 41sec long video clip of the interview with Dragon Kim.
Russia calls for North Korea nuclear talks (2 min read)
Russia’s envoy to South Korea said, "Russia is actively engaged in the search for solutions to the Korean Peninsula's issues, including the nuclear one… We are convinced that step-by-step activities based on the principles of equality and a gradual and synchronized approach will make it possible to ensure the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lay the foundation for a solid system of peace and security here."
Who will take the lead? Naver, Kakao to enter digital health care market (2 min read)
“According to Naver, it plans to build an in-house ‘smart hospital’ supported by AI in its new headquarters next year… Also, Naver recently announced it had forged a partnership with Soonchunhyang University Hospital to further accelerate its AI voice recognition technology for digital health care… Its rival Kakao, on the other hand, plans to boost its digital health care business by establishing an in-house unit, Kakao Health Care CIC, under its wing… Kakao Brain, the AI technology research and development subsidiary under Kakao, also joined hands with Galux, a Korean bio startup, to provide its AI technology, aiming to drastically shorten the process of developing new drugs.”
[Eye Plus] Smart shelters to stay before your bus arrives (1 min read)
“Seoul… has started to digitally transform bus stops to provide convenience to commuters… Known as ‘smart shelters,’ these tech-savvy bus stops are equipped with screen doors for safety, smartphone chargers, Wi-Fi internet access, air-conditioning and even automated external defibrillators that can treat people with sudden cardiac arrest. Bus users no longer have to be confused with directions, with touch screens providing them with information on each bus entering the station and their routes. Surveillance video cameras are installed at the smart stations, allowing control rooms to receive round-the-clock footage of the locations…The city currently has eight ‘smart shelters.’” The article contains photos of these ‘smart shelters.’
[From the scene] ‘Just another day at work’: Inside COVID-19 ICUs on Christmas Eve (5 min read)
At the government-designated COVID-19 hospital in Incheon, Gachon University Medical Center, “for most front-line workers, the holiday was ‘just another day at work.’... two of the hospitals’ eight ICUs -- including specialty units for heart, trauma, surgical or emergency patients as well as neonatal and pediatric units -- are now dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients only… One of the eight patients facing the [government’s] executive order [for COVID-19 patients to leave after 20 days] died a day after being told to leave… ‘About half of our nursing staff at the COVID-19 ICUs have quit, and honestly who can blame them?’” The article contains photos of the hospital’s ICU area.
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