The first suspected cases of a rare inflammatory disease striking children and young adults have been reported in South Korea, health authorities said Tuesday, issuing special warnings as preschools and primary schools are set to resume in-person classes Wednesday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Deputy Director Kwon Jun-wook said in a Tuesday press briefing that two pediatric patients at health care institutions in Seoul might have the little-known condition, now

Schools to allow partial attendance

'Next wave of coronavirus could coincide with flu season,' officials say

Nearly half of Koreans report struggling psychologically from pandemic, survey finds

Seasoned health official says ‘it’s never too early to start preparing for next epidemic’

Remote medical care, respiratory-only clinics coming to health service

Vaccine security key in pandemic preparedness, says top vaccine researcher

Scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have developed "MAP-1," a new disinfectant spray that can kill viruses -- including the novel coronavirus -- and bacteria for up to 90 days. Unlike alcohol or bleach-based solutions, MAP-1 remains effective in disrupting existing bacteria and preventing new bacteria from spreading even after it has dried. A special blend of heat-sensitive antimicrobial polymers releases disinfectants upon human contact. The coating c

South Korea's health authorities said Sunday they are considering introducing a coronavirus testing kit that could produce results in about one hour for emergency operations or women in labor. Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), told reporters that authorities are reviewing a plan to allow doctors to use the one-hour polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing kits in case of emergency. "We are considering applying the kits to emergency oper

S. Korea to reopen economy in phases

South Korea’s youngest patient, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 8 at just 27 days old, had higher viral loads for a longer period of time than her mother despite being exposed to an identical infection source at around the same time, medical staff said Tuesday. SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus responsible for COVID-19 -- was detected in all of the baby’s samples including blood, urine, stool and saliva, according to pediatrician Dr. Han Mi-seon of the Boramae Medical Center in sout

South Korea reported over the weekend the first case of a heart disease linked to novel coronavirus infection, suggesting the virus most commonly known to cause respiratory distress may have a wider spectrum of complications. In Daegu, Korea’s worst affected city with 64 percent of the total virus tally, a 21-year-old woman without preexisting medical conditions suffered an acute myocarditis from COVID-19. The young patient initially exhibited typical symptoms of the virus including a c

After the World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 pandemic, global health care researchers are becoming more interested in South Korea’s experience and data. The country is becoming a center of research on international clinical data to overcome COVID-19 based on data of treatment information and progress in Korean patients. EvidNet, which has built up clinical data of 27 general hospitals in Korea as well as 33 million hospitals that are part of the standard data network, began re

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Johnson & Johnson said on Monday it had selected a lead candidate vaccine for the new coronavirus that would move to human trials by September and could be ready for emergency use by early next year. The pharmaceutical company has signed an agreement with the US government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to invest $1 billion in the effort, it said in a statement. J&J began working on the vaccine under investigation -- Ad26 SARS-CoV-2 -- in

　More than 880,000 people worldwide died from exposure to secondhand smoke in 2016, compared with nearly 950,000 in 1990, an analysis published by JAMA Network Open concluded. 　This despite the fact that there were more smokers globally in 2016 - nearly 1 billion, thanks in large part to the increasing popularity of the habit in Asia and Africa - than in 1990, when roughly 850 million people smoked worldwide. 　The figures suggest that one nonsmoker died from exposure to secondhand smoke for