![]() The Bank of Korea (BoK) monthly surveys of activity showed that the manufacturing sector bottomed in June this year, and has improved in each of the subsequent months, though remains weak overall, and is still operating well below pre-Covid levels, thanks to weak overseas demand and soft export demand. The economy has contracted by less than five percentage points in cumulative terms, which not only compares favourably locally, but also looks good in G-7 terms 3Q20 GDP should show some recovery as the second wave is contained and social distancing can be cautiously relaxed again. ![]() And given the relative economic performance of Korea compared to other countries in the region, the trade-off seems to have paid off.Īfter contracting by 1.3%QoQ in 1Q20, and then a further modest decline of 2.7%QoQ in 2Q20, the Korean economy has contracted by less than five percentage points in cumulative terms, which not only compares favourably locally, but also looks good in G-7 terms (on the same basis, Japan’s GDP is down almost 9pp, the US has contracted by more than 10pp, and the Eurozone by more than 15pp). Nonetheless, even though providing this information comes at a cost in terms of personal privacy, this is a price Korea has felt worth paying. For example, it helps that South Koreans have been so ready to follow social distancing guidelines, wherein other countries, this has led to protests and civil disobedience. Not all of this will be replicable for all countries. Facility visits including pharmacies and medical facilities.Preparations for large scale testing quickly got off the ground with public-private partnerships quickly scaling up testing capabilities which coupled with 600 screening centres (including drive-through testing), enabled the country to perform more than 300,000 tests by late March, more than 40 times the number the US had performed at the same time.Īnother source of success was the support given to Covid-19 patients, creating isolation wards for those experiencing symptoms, while supporting self-isolating individuals with food and toiletries and twice-daily check-ups from health officers.Įpidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers were supported with the following information to help contact tracing: The MErs experience also boosted the expansion of Korea’s biomedical industry, and within two weeks of the first case of Covid-19, thousands of testing kits were being shipped a day up to its peak of 100,000 kits per day. In spite of the recent setbacks, thanks to its swift and efficient response, Korea has still not needed to impose a mandatory national lockdown, and the domestic economy has certainly benefited from a less restricted environment than most of its neighbours, competitors, and key export markets.įactors that may have played a role in Korea’s successful approach to Covid-19, and which other countries may wish to emulate, may, in fact, stem from the experience of its disappointing response in 2015 to an outbreak of MErs (Middle East respiratory syndrome), a general willingness to wear masks (in common use thanks to air pollution), and public cooperation with government safe-distancing advice.įor a country with a population of 55 million, the current 7-day moving average of daily cases of a little over 300 and total confirmed cases of just over 20,000, Korea has had fewer confirmed cases than much smaller countries, such as Ireland, Nepal, and Oman Similar to the statewide trend, long term care facilities have reported more cases in the past two months than in the spring.For a country with a population of 55 million, the current 7-day moving average of daily cases of a little over 300 and total confirmed cases of just over 20,000, Korea has had fewer confirmed cases than much smaller countries, such as Ireland, Nepal, and Oman. There have been 472 known cases of COVID-19 among residents of nursing homes and personal care homes in Centre County, according to the Department of Health. In-person visitations have been suspended since September. Forty-six staff members also currently have the virus.Ĭentre Crest said it’s testing all residents once a week and that it has adequate testing resources and personal protective equipment. That’s the most cases the facility has seen since the pandemic began. When asked about what’s the percentage of residents who show severe COVID-19 symptoms, an administrator declined to comment. That’s out of a total of 164 residents at the nursing home, meaning an 88% infection rate among residents. In a letter sent out Monday, Centre Crest, in Bellefonte, confirmed there are 145 residents with active positive cases for COVID-19. ![]() As community transmission continues to grow, long term care facilities are seeing a surge of cases as well. All but one county in Pennsylvania now has a “substantial” level of community spread of COVID-19, according to the state.
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