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Updated April 9th, 2021 at 15:51 IST

South Korea introduces stricter measures to curb COVID spread, nightclubs to be shut

As cases in South Korea surge, the South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced that the country will extend the existing social distancing rules.

Reported by: Akanksha Arora
South Korea
| Image:self
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As cases in South Korea surge, the South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced that the country will extend the existing social distancing rules for three more weeks. As a part of new restrictions, night clubs and various other night time entertainment facilities will remain shut. Also, meetings among five or more people have now been prohibited. As per a tally by the Johns Hopkins University, South Korea has a total of 108,269 cases with over 1,700 fatalities. 

Current situation in South Korea 

Currently, the East Asian country is reviewing whether to approve rapid coronavirus tests that can be taken at home. These tests can produce immediate results. The director of South Korea’s National Health Institute, Kwon Jun-wook said that there is a need to provide convenient and accessible tests that people can use regularly. This is because the virus can be transmitted by people with no or mild symptoms. He further added that the country may need more tools as it has been struggling to battle the deadly virus. 

Previously, the health authorities were reluctant to expand the use of rapid antigen tests, which could produce results within 30 minutes but are less accurate than standard laboratory tests. Kwon said that real-time PCR tests would remain the country’s gold standard even if officials approve rapid tests for public use. The PCR tests involve professionals administering nasal and throat swabs. Also, lab machines are required for genetically analyzing the samples.

Suspending AstraZenca's vaccine

Also, the South Korean authorities said that they will be temporarily suspending administering the AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to medical workers and people in long-term care settings 60 years old or younger after health authorities in Europe investigate the connection between the shots and blood clots in adults. According to the reports by AP, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said that it will also pause a vaccine rollout to school nurses and teachers as they are waiting for the outcome of the European Medicine Agency’s review. As of now, South Korea has administered the first doses of coronavirus vaccines to about 1 million people after beginning its mass immunization program in late February. 

(Image Credits: Unsplash/Pixabay)

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Published April 9th, 2021 at 15:51 IST

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