The forgotten elephant in the room: COVID(19).

korea is supposed to be offering up some new covid 19 guidelines tomorrow.  im curious what i tmight entail.   as the indoor mask one is the only thing that matters thats still left.

Unfortunately, it's more likely that they will bring back some restrictions. I'm thinking maybe they would limit again the number of people that can gather. We'll see. But don't expect the mask mandate to be gone.

No restrictions announced, just vaccination expansion. Can breathe for a bit longer

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/07/119_332634.html

40,000+ today. WTF. Here we go again.

https://search.naver.com/search.naver?where=nexearch&sm=top_sug.pre&fbm=1&acr=1&acq=%EC%BD%94&qdt=0&ie=utf8&query=%EC%BD%94%EB%A1%9C%EB%82%98+%ED%99%95%EC%A7%84%EC%9E%90

Citing experts, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said daily infections are expected to top 200,000 between mid-August and end-September.

Being scared forever is an awful way to live.

It’s never going away.

And it’s not that dangerous (for almost everyone).

Get vaccinated and / or keep your immune system strong and there’s nothing to worry about.

The problem is perception.

The pandemic is over when we decide it is over.

“Who gives a sh*t about this mild ailment” should be the proper response in areas where the vaccine has been available for years.

Here we go again!

Korea really needs to stop requiring vaccinated travelers to get Covid tested before coming here.

I was informed on Tuesday that little Emma from my 2nd grade elementary school class in the tiny six-desk hagwon room had tested positive for COVID19 that day, she sitting the day before in the front row. In that class, fortunately, I had Jenny - who was sniffling sick (just a cold virus, as she too was tested Tuesday) - a slow student who took a lot of my attention on the other side of the room (note: though, the other side of the room was just about 3 meters away as the room is three desks wide, two rows deep!), so, I being preoccupied, ... the diligent, accurate Emma needed to touch bases with me just a couple of times, and I didn't need to hunch over her desk (we're finishing the unit on animals and her spelling of giraffe, gorilla, crane, magpie and seagull was solid and i didn't need to check it, just asked her to spell the words for those who were struggling to unscramble the letters).

Fortunately, under those circumstances, I haven't got COVID19 again.

 But Emma was the 3rd student of mine in the last 10 days to get that coronavirus (all different ages, different classes), and... I have well under a hundred students! I have wondered if the high rates are coming back.

Interesting stat:

more than 97 percent of eligible adults in South Korea are fully vaccinated

https://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220713000653

Starting next week, eligibility for fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines, so far offered only to people aged 60 years and older, will open up to people in their 50s as well.

Except for health authorities it had been pretty much forgotten here until the recent increase in cases with the emergence of the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants. The mask mandates have only applied to public transport but I've noticed a lot more people wearing them in shopping malls lately. A fourth dose of a vaccine is now recommended for people over the age of 50. Both my wife and I still haven't caught it yet, unless it was an asymptomatic infection. Perhaps it's because we eat so much garlic.  I'm not sure if I'll bother with a fourth dose. I have about 6 months months of paid sick leave up my sleeve and can't say I'm enjoying teaching in hybrid mode at the moment.

First case of the new variant BA.2.75 'Centaurus', in Incheon.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/07/119_332717.html

'Centaurus'

A deadly virus shouldn't have such a cool name.

I was hoping they named the next variant Persei 8.

I got my booster shot. Hope I'm protected.  I don't know how it works against the new variants.

Just before my vacay i read a news report talking about the gov't tightening testing for foreign arrivals and cited 300-ish new cases from arrivals. Later in the story there was cited a 60,000+ new cases nationwide, down from 90,000+ cases the day before. ... 300 out of 60,000 requires a change in policy? Yes, if 'foreigner as threat' (a nice way to put it) is still a resonating message here, which it is, absurdly so in this context.

But the real question is can elephants get covid?