South Korea reports 3,717 new COVID-19 infections on Friday
위중증 환자 839명, 이틀 연속 800명대…코로나19 '먹는 치료제' 다음주 국내 들어온다 South Korea is seeing a downward trend in daily COVID-19 tally. Anti-viral pills are expected to arrive next week. Meanwhile, controversy on vaccine passes remains heated. Shin Ye-eun has our top story. South Korea reported 3-thousand 7-hundred 17 new COVID-19 infections on Friday,... down by more than 4-hundred from the day before. The number of critically ill patients dropped by 43 to 8-hundred 39...marking the second straight day that the figure has been below 900. The downward trend comes amid toughened social distancing measures. Authorities are set to further tackle the virus with the distribution of anti-viral pills. South Korea has secured enough oral COVID-19 medication to treat 1 million people,... which includes a pre-purchase contract with Pfizer,... as well as Merck's oral treatment,... enough for 762,000 and 242,000 patients respectively. The first batch will arrive here next week. Authorities said they would announce further details on when they will be available for use as soon as possible. "We are preparing detailed guidelines on who to give out these pills to at which facilities. We will announce the final plans next week." Also at the center of toughened virus prevention measures is the controversial vaccine pass. Those against the passes have expressed concerns about infringements on individuals' rights and say the government shouldn't force vaccinations on people who aren't able to, or are unwilling to get vaccinated because they are pregnant or have underlying health conditions. Voices against the vaccine passes have grown louder after authorities decided to extend their use to essential businesses, including supermarkets. On Tuesday, the Seoul Administrative Court suspended the government's requirement for vaccine passes at cram schools or study cafes. But, the government immediately appealed this decision... and has insisted that vaccine passes are needed to ensure a gradual return to normal life. "Vaccine passes have been the promised prerequisite for us to bring life back to normal. They have worked as a shield to protect everyone from tougher virus prevention measures yet again. The government will be open to making improvements, if needed." Authorities have said... they would review plans... to provide more people with vaccine pass exemptions,... especially those with underlying health conditions. Shin Ye-eun, Arirang News. #COVID19 #infection #treatment 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) : / arirangtvnews 📣 Arirang News(Twitter) : / arirangtvnews 📣 News Center(YouTube) : / newscenter_arirangtv 2022-01-07, 22:00 (KST)
