Understanding transmission by asymptomatic patients has been cited as a key factor in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in communities. Korean public health authorities have repeatedly warned of the potential of asymptomatic patients to be behind a “silent spread” of the disease. “Epidemiological investigations reveal approximately 40 percent of all confirmed cases so far are asymptomatic,” sai...

COVID-19 spotlights health hazards of smoking

By Kim Arin ( arin@heraldcorp.com )

The novel coronavirus infection is relatively unnoticeable in children, leaving them less likely to get diagnosed. And despite their lack of distinct symptoms, children with COVID-19 can shed the virus for as long as over two weeks, a recent study found, highlighting their potential role in spreading the disease silently in the community. The study published Aug. 28 in the Journal of the America...

Most COVID-19 patients under 50 have recovered without oxygen therapy, according to a study conducted by the National Medical Center’s clinical committee for emerging infectious diseases, supporting findings of previous studies that showed age is associated with worse outcomes. The study, which assessed the clinical outcomes of 3,060 patients who received care at 55 hospitals during the first wa...

Doctors worry about people not going to hospitals over coronavirus fears

Last month, a South Korean COVID-19 survivor underwent a double-lung transplant that ended up saving her life -- a procedure that is the first of its kind in the country and only the ninth worldwide since the outbreak began. Behind her monthslong recovery and the eventual transplant are a squad of doctors and nurses who say coronavirus survival takes team effort. When the 50-year-old woman arriv...

Summer is in full swing amid an ever deepening pandemic. As the virus is new, figuring out how to navigate the season safely can be daunting. Health experts share their responses to some of the popular queries about the coronavirus in summertime. Will hot temperatures mitigate the spread? Contrary to earlier conjectures, warmer weather does not stop the coronavirus from spreading. Countries wit...

Korean health authorities said Wednesday that stocks of remdesivir, an experimental antiviral once seen as a potential Ebola therapy, will be supplied to local hospitals for treating COVID-19. In a press release, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the use of remdesivir will be limited to seriously ill patients in need of oxygen therapy. More specifically, patients with che...

Months into pandemic, expanding waistlines a health bane for many

‘Fecal sample testing could aid in telling COVID-19 in suspected MIS patients’

When it comes to epidemics, it’s hard to find someone with a bulkier resume. From severe acute respiratory syndrome to swine flu to Middle East respiratory syndrome, he was there at the front lines of each alarming outbreak that has surfaced in recent decades, either advising or spearheading South Korea’s response. Dr. Kim Woo-joo, the nation’s leading expert in infectious diseases, said the nov...

Certain markers may help predict a patient’s chance of developing a severe case of novel coronavirus disease at the point of hospital admission, according to a Korean study published last week. This is a first local study identifying risk factors for severe COVID-19 caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. The findings were based on observations of 110 confirmed patients hospitalized between F...

South Korea‘s output of medical equipment and related materials passed 7 trillion won ($5.7 billion) in 2019 on solid demand for dental treatment products, data showed. About 7.3 trillion won worth of medical equipment and materials were produced in the country last year, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The sector’s annualized growth ra...

Timeline of reported cases Late April: An unidentified children’s illness reported in Europe May 9: Illness claims three children in New York, US, and one in France May 13: Casualty occurs in the UK; UK, France, US together confirm over 100 cases May 23: Mystery children’s illness spreads to 13 countries (25 states in the US) May 25: Korea launches disease surveillance systems May 26: Korea...