Loser News

SEOUL, South Korea- How did South Korea escape the pandemic relatively unaffected economically, with deaths at such low levels, while now vaccinating at such a high level that it has protected itself from future waves of illness and harsh lockdowns? That’s the question we should all be asking, and a clear vindication of the zero-Covid approach as the optimal short-term strategy.

The "Seoul Strategy" involved finding Covid cases through mass testing, tracing contacts, and supporting isolation to ensure chains of transmission were broken. This was supported by strict travel restrictions to prevent new cases being imported, and strong messaging to the public about wearing masks in public spaces, and the dangers of a new infectious disease. All of this was followed by an aggressive vaccination campaign.

It is never too late to learn lessons from countries such as South Korea, which pursued maximum suppression, and succeeded.

 

SEOUL, South Korea- Less than three weeks after South Korea relaxed pandemic restrictions under a new living-with-covid policy, the country is experiencing a surge in corona virus cases. South Korea has fully immunized close to 80 percent of its 52 million people, despite a later start than many other wealthy countries. Fewer than 10 countries have higher vaccination rates.

Deaths have also been climbing.  On Nov. 1, the seven-day average for daily coronavirus deaths was 12.3.  That figure has now risen to 20.

Kim Woo-joo, an infectious-disease expert at Korea University, said the recent surges reflected waning immunity against the coronavirus among those who had been vaccinated several months ago, implying a new need for booster shots. "When something works this good,” he said earlier today, "you just gotta have more."