South Korea says second wave of coronavirus already ‘in progress’

SEOUL — A second wave of the novel coronavirus has already hit South Korea, with Seoul as the epicenter, according to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jung Eun-kyeong.

“If a wave is defined as an explosion of infections that significantly strains the health care system, I believe a second wave is in progress in the Greater Seoul area,” she said in a Monday briefing.

The KCDC director said the rise in cases appears to have stemmed from an increase in movements during the holiday weekend in early May.

“As long as close contact amongst people continues to take place, the coronavirus trends in and around Seoul have the makings of the next big wave,” she said, warning that in the absence of physical distancing, the second rush of the coronavirus may arrive sooner than the previously anticipated fall or winter.


“The aim is to keep the speed and size of the outbreaks below our capacity and minimize damages until there is a cure or vaccine,” she said, urging yet again, compliance to physical distancing.

So far in the month of June, the patient count in the Seoul area stands at 788, having already exceeded May’s 505 and April’s 412, growing at an average of 38 a day.


Nearly half of the new patients confirmed last week were in their 50s or older, making severe outcomes more common. The number of severely or critically ill patients rose from eight on June 2 to 34 by Saturday, according to the Health Ministry.

The National Medical Center’s central clinical committee for emerging infectious diseases has warned of an impending intensive care unit bed shortage in the capital, where the number of patients has surged most.

“We worry that densely populated Seoul may be facing explosive and concentrated outbreaks,” the state-run hospital’s Director Chung Ki-hyun told reporters Sunday.


Addressing the NMC’s concerns, Yoon Tae-ho, the public health policy director at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said in a Monday briefing that patients with no or minimal symptoms would be housed at care facilities instead of hospitals. There are four such facilities in operation nationwide, with one more to be installed this week, he said.

Yoon said the government was also seeking solutions such as flexible work shifts for health workers on the frontline to alleviate the “COVID-19 burden.” In addition, 200,000 surgical gowns which are lighter and more heat-friendly will be distributed at testing centers around the country every month until September, he said.


Minister of Health Park Neung-hoo, speaking at a meeting at the Central Disaster Management Headquarters on Monday, said the recent uptick in the number of imported cases called for amplified border checks. The number of cases linked to overseas travel almost doubled to 90 during the week of June 15-21, from 48 the week prior.

“The disease control authorities are having to fight local outbreaks while at the same time monitoring potential infections coming in from outside the country,” he said.


In response, starting Tuesday, visa applications will be restricted for people from Pakistan and Bangladesh, as a high proportion of passengers flying in from those countries have arrived infected.

Korea added 17 cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours ending Sunday at midnight, according to the KCDC’s daily situation report.

Eleven of those were locally transmitted — seven in the Greater Seoul, two in South Chungcheong Province, and one each in North Jeolla Province and Daegu. The remaining six cases were imported.

To date, there have been 12,438 coronavirus patients here, of whom 280 have died.

- The Korea Herald

China: Dating apps turn hot during viral outbreak

BEIJING — Zhang Xiaojing is a 33-year-old accountant for a foreign trade company in Beijing who has been spending time scrolling through her dating apps since the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Bottom line, Zhang is looking to find a boyfriend and get married as soon as possible.


“I used to participate in some offline dating activities during the weekends, but almost all gatherings have been prohibited. Cinemas and bars were shut down to curb the spread of the deadly virus. I have to remain indoors to avoid getting infected.”

Zhang lives alone and feels very bored so she downloaded several online dating apps. They included Momo and Tantan in a bid to make new friends, and to give her some relief from the stress and loneliness.

She noted that Tantan’s way of finding dates, unlike traditional dating websites, is more interesting and simple.

“You just browse the profiles recommended to you based on your location, distance and gender preferences. Swipe right if you like someone, and swipe left to show you are not interested.”


“I chat only with the people that I am matched with, and can also choose to hide my contacts. The app adds other functionalities which people can use for free. For instance, I can play games, upload pictures or texts and share videos on it.”

For Zhang, online romance in the time of the contagion has become more than just finding love. It is also a source of comfort and connection.

Online dating apps have seen a significant increase in usage due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Industry experts said the “cloud matchmaking” method, which includes livestreaming and short videos formats which comply with the habits of users and satisfy the needs of self-presentation, is gaining tractions among singles.

A report released by mobile dating app Tantan said the average time people spent on the app in early and mid February increased over 30 percent compared with the average usage during normal times. The number of users surged 60 percent during the peak hour which often runs from midnight to 1 am.


During the outbreak, those born after the period around 1995 and after 2000 have become the top users of Tantan. They recorded a more than 20 percent increase in messages sent and daily matches. Another notable fact is that the number of older users who came back rose by 25.9 percent compared with the level during normal times.

Founded in 2014, Tantan focuses on one-on-one interactions and targets students and white-collar workers. Women accounted for nearly half of the total users. So far, it has 10.5 million daily active users and 35 million monthly active users.

Data from iResearch Consulting Group showed the revenue of China’s online dating and matchmaking industry will increase from 4 billion yuan ($567 million) in 2017 to 5.3 billion yuan in 2020.

For singles, the pressure to get married usually increases when they return home during the Spring Festival holiday for family reunions. Their parents, grandparents and other relatives badger them about their personal lives to nosily inquire why they have not gotten married.

Zhenai.com, a popular matchmaking application website, said its active users reached 10 million during the Lunar New Year holiday (Jan 24-Feb 2), an increase of 39.3 percent compared with the same period of last year. More than 10,300 people found highly compatible matches on the app.

Wu Linguang, CEO of online matchmaking and dating platform Baihe Jiayuan Network Group Co, said video and livestreaming dating services have been launched to lure customers during the epidemic.

“Generally speaking, the emotional demand of singles reaches a peak on Valentine’s Day and lasts until the end of February,” Wu said.

Statistics from the company showed the time users spend on video dating rose 29.8 percent during the Spring Festival holiday, compared with the data from the festive season last year. The average usage time skyrocketed 93 percent versus the time from the same period a year ago.

Some 50 percent of single men and 33 percent of single women were lonely as they could not go out during the outbreak, it added.

Surfing the internet has become a major way to help ease their anxiety, with 30 percent of singles keen about making friends online. About 30 percent of men and 41 percent of women have switched from attending offline activities to online dating.


“The epidemic has given a big boost to the online dating apps, which are usually in the off season in the first quarter and gradually gain popularity after the Spring Festival,” said Yang Xin, an analyst with Beijing-based internet consultancy Analysys.

Yang believes that with rapidly increasing traffic, mobile app companies should think of how to hang onto their customers when the pandemic ends.

-China Daily

All beaches in Phuket closed indefinitely

BANGKOK — All beaches in the world famous tourist destination Phuket will be closed indefinitely, provincial Governor Phakkhaphong Thawiphat and president of Phuket Communicable Disease Committee have decided.

The closures extend to zoos and all venues of animal shows for tourists.


The Bangla walking street in Kathu district is also closed.

“The decision is part of an effort to better control and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus,” he said. “By the governor’s authority under sections 22 and 35 of Communicable Disease Act BE 2558, these places will be closed temporarily until further notice.

Those who violate the order could be jailed for up to one year, fined up to Bt100,000, or both, the governor said in a statement.

All nine airlines have suspended their flights while most hotels in the province have closed for service and they will not receive new tourists.

The governor sought cooperation from both Thais and foreigners staying in Phuket to remain indoors from 8pm to 3am from March 28 until further notice, except in cases of emergency.

Meanwhile, the Public Health authorities reported 143 new cases in the past 24 hours on Sunday, bringing the total Covid-19 cases in Thailand to 1,388. One more patient died, bringing total deaths to seven nationwide.

Earlier on Tuesday (March 24), the Phuket committee had approved a proposal to close all high-risk places in the province from Sunday until March 31 in order to prevent people contracting Covid-19. The places the province has closed are: malls, pharmacies, shops, entertainment venues, spas, restaurants, amulet markets, golf clubs, pet-service shops, beauty clinics, barber and tattoo shops, and swimming pools of both government and private organizations.

As of Sunday (March 29), confirmed infections in Phuket reached 53, the highest among southern provinces. Seven of them have recovered and returned to their homes, 46 are under treatment with no serious cases. Test results are awaited of 97 persons.

A total of 944 people are under scrutiny while 794 have tested negative, according to the Phuket provincial health authority.

Asia News Network