Since the first confirmation of the COVID-19 in 2019, countries around  the world have been suffering from the virus. The pandemic, which seemed to end with the development of vaccines, is becoming unknowingly long as it continues to mutate into Delta and Omicron. Although the virus seems to be ahead of the pace of human innovation, scientific technology will find a solution, and many researchers are continuing their efforts to do so.

Although the COVID-19 virus has made the global population keep on their toes, some countries have been considered exemplary countries for their rapid response: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Republic of Korea. In particular, South Korean infectious disease prevention and control (coined as ‘K-quarantine’) is evaluated as a successful case of initial response, including the government’s transparent information disclosure policy and preventive compliances such as wearing masks. In addition, research and development (R&D) responding  to viruses is actively underway, and a remarkable research result among them will be given below.

The Convergence  Research Center for CEVI of the National Institute of Science and Technology (NST) began research in developing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in 2016. After suffering from several pandemics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, H1N1 virus (also known as swine flu) in 2009, and MERS-CoV (MidEastern Respiratory Syndrome) in 2015, NST became aware of the seriousness of viral infectious diseases and a research team was launched to respond quickly to possible infectious diseases. One of the characteristics of the research group is not a single research institute,  but eight national  research  institutes (Korea Institute of Chemical Technology, Korea Basic Science of Institute, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Korea Food Research Institute, Korea Institute of Toxicology), four universities  (Korea University, Yonsei University, Jeonbuk National  University, Chungnam National University). Researchers from various fields gather at the Korea Research Institute for Chemical Technology to conduct cooperative research, as it was not launched to develop vaccines or treatments, but to develop solutions that can respond to new viruses – from diagnosis, prevention, to treatment.

Studies that have been thoroughly prepared since 2016, before the COVID-19  pandemic, have achieved many results from 2020 to the present when the new virus actually occurred. First, the candidate substance for the “SARS-COV-2″ vaccine developed by the research team is a synthetic antigen vaccine, which has a production capacity five times higher than that of neutralizing antibodies by the existing COVID-19 spike protein, which was previously developed as a vaccine antigen. The high ability to produce neutralizing antibodies that counteract the activity of antigens in the human body means that it can prevent the exacerbation of disease from mild to severe patients. Kim Bum-tae, head of the research team, explained, “We have been steadily researching the ‘vaccine development platform’ technology to prepare for infectious diseases that may be prevalent again in Korea since MERS, and as a result, we were able to quickly develop vaccine candidates in this COVID-19 situation.”

Second, the research team developed candidate substances for treatment following vaccine candidate substances, which were confirmed to have excellent drug effects not only on COVID-19, but also on MERS and SARS viruses. As a result of injection to monkey kidney cells, it was found that the ability to kill 50% of the virus at a specific concentration was 50 times higher than that of Remdesivir (COVID-19 treatment approved in the United States). Proven its excellent drug quality and low toxicity, it is highly likely to be developed as a new drug, and expected to be used to develop general-purpose COVID-19 virus treatments. Third, it also completed developing the nanostructure-based high-sensitivity immunodiagnosis technology that can diagnose virus infection and neutralizing antibodies even after vaccination, and a diagnostic tool that can check for virus infection within 15 minutes.

These achievements are worth 29 million dollars and technology has been transferred to private bio companies, leading to clinical trials and commercialization research. This can be said to be the result of efforts made by the research group, research support organization (NST), and government (Ministry of Science and ICT) over the past five years. The research team is set to end in July 2022, but still planning to continue cooperative research on responding to new strains of virus infections.

Kim Bok-chul, chairman of NST, emphasizes that “It is a must-do research for securing public safety although it takes a long time and risks are high.” The CEVI research is expected to be continued, according to Mr. Kim. As he said that “To cover more areas, for example, to cope with climate change beyond disease control and treatment, it requires a more cooperative research process in collaboration with companies, universities, in order to maximize the speed and efficiency of the research.” In addition, Yong Hong-taek, the first vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, encouraged the team, saying that “CEVI research team is a great help in Korea’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” He closed his word promising more support for the research team.

It has been two years since the pandemic affected our lives drastically.

To make matters worse, the Omicron variant has made its appearance as well.

People could lose hope because they are becoming exhausted from being conscious of every circumstance. Due to the heightened sensitivity of the public, they are prone to be caught by exaggerated advertisements and eating health supplements.

With the constant change in lifestyle the pandemic has brought upon us, we are trying our best to adjust to these adversities. We are trying hard to make a fruitful day by eating and sleeping well. Then, what does it mean to be ‘eating well’? Since people are obsessed with staying healthy, there are new trends in beauty and dietary practice. People who take part in these trends like ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting restrict their calorie consumption to an extreme extent in order to clean their body within a short period of time. While the short term results can prove these methods to be effective, it is far from it. Consistency is important when staying healthy. It is the same as studying. If you want to get a high score in the exam, you should study hard consistently rather than cramming the syllabus in a short period of time. Like studying, if you want to maintain your immune system, you should try hard consistently over a long period of time. You cannot just cram your health.  If you don’t focus on your health ordinarily, you are prone to getting sick easily.

While health supplements can be seen as a simple solution to maintain our health, it can be ineffective with a lack of understanding of our body. People who are unaware of their own health can be oblivious to what their body needs. Because everyone’s body is unique to themselves, the same supplements can affect the body differently. Therefore, it’s important to know what is necessary.

Every meal is very important because it is our primary source of nutrition. Simply relying on supplements would be inadequate to strengthen our immune system.

If you are not caring about your everyday meal, eating health supplements can become a bottomless pit. Diet methods with extreme restrictions like ketogenic or intermittent fasting are trending despite it being unhealthy. It rose in popularity due to the belief that quick results can be achieved by omitting specific nutrients from our diet. In reality this is a very dangerous belief. Rather than excluding the nutrients, one can replace them with healthier alternatives.

There are some protein products that are solely focused on weight loss. And ‘Alt Cookies’ is a product that focuses on healthy ingredients and nutrition. ‘Alt Cookies’ is the perfect modern solution as a meal replacement for it was made to oblige our health related worries. It can perfectly supply all the nutrition our body needs with only one bag. A healthy body is achievable through the meal we eat every day.

Eun Sok Choi
Grace & Honest

Korea is now in a situation where the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases exceeds 7,000 a day. However, life is so different from before that control or management is seen as a way of freedom. As soon as the formal restriction policy and overseas travel to some countries were implemented, all flight seats were sold out. South Korea is set to hold a presidential election on March 9 next year (2022).

All media outlets are reporting the tight confrontation between the two candidates, Jae-myung Lee (the Democratic Party of Korea) and Seok-yeol Yoon (the People’s Power Party). Candidate Jae-myung Lee is being attacked for his real estate development policy during his time as mayor, and candidate Seok-yeol Yoon’s for his past actions related to him and his family including his plagiarism of his wife’s academic background and his wife’s mother who manipulated the stock prices.

What is false, true, and what is true is currently referred to the prosecution’s investigation and trial, so we have to wait and see. It is unknown how it will affect the election. The current government regime should also improve diplomatic relations with Japan, and the United States, China, North Korea, and Japan are also complicatedly intertwined with Russia as it is still the only divided country in the world in a confrontation with North Korea.

In addition, attention seems to be being paid to what kind of development and movement Samsung’s new investment in the U.S. semiconductor production line which the Korea’s largest economic and financial company will lead to. It is clear that it is a country with a population of less than 100 million, a country of interest and issues, and also has great potential in an infinite development competition.

Sam Kim

Asia Journal

The number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases in Japan is noticeably decreasing. In Tokyo (2190.9), which is about 3.5 times the area of Seoul (605.2), the number of confirmed cases per day during the month of November was only 31. Even on a national scale, the number of confirmed cases per day throughout November was less than 300. This is a surprising number considering that the infection explosion continued immediately after the Tokyo Olympics, resulting in an average of 10,000 to 20,000 confirmed cases a day. Due to the sharp drop in the number of confirmed cases, Japanese society is rapidly recovering its daily lives. Immediately after the emergency declaration was lifted at the end of September, regulations on operating hours in public libraries and indoor gymnasiums in Tokyo were drastically eased and returned to pre-COVID-19 levels from November. Restrictions on liquor sales and business hours in restaurants have also been lifted altogether. From December 1, infection prevention measures, which require only four people per table to eat, have also been eased to eight. Measures to set the number of spectators at sports events and concert halls to less than 10,000 have also been eased, allowing them to be accommodated without an upper limit if they are within 50% of the capacity. Regarding the easing of such infection prevention measures, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said, “It is important to thoroughly take basic infection prevention measures while resuming socio-economic activities.”

Professor Kazuhiro Tateda, a member of the Japanese government’s COVID-19 Countermeasure Subcommittee, said of the current infection situation, “Two months have passed since the declaration of an emergency was lifted at the end of September, but the nationwide decline is still maintained. The vaccination rate also exceeded 76% of those who completed the second vaccination, and the number of infected people nationwide is maintained at a low level, so it continues to be in very good condition, he said. However, the increasingly cold weather is creating an environment where viruses are likely to spread, and if the vaccine effect weakens in December and January, the factors that induce an increase in infection will increase, he pointed out. Tokyo, where the downtown area is recovering from population movement.

On the afternoon of November 28, Shinjuku, a downtown area in Tokyo, was filled with citizens even though the weather suddenly became chilly. Most of the cafes in the large shopping center were full, and the donut chain Mr. Donut even produced a line of more than 10 citizens for admission. Shinokubo, a Korean town in Tokyo, about 20 minutes’ walk from Shinjuku, was so crowded that it was hard to believe that it was a COVID-19 situation. In front of the store that sells Korean-style hot dogs and hotteok, nearly 20 people were waiting for the order. A citizen (20s office worker), who was waiting for entry in front of a Korean restaurant, said, “I visited the Korean town because I wanted to eat Korean food after watching the popular drama Squid Game… I didn’t know there would be this many people,” he said. It is strange to hear that there is no significant difference in vaccination rates (in Korea and Japan) regarding the recent surge in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Korea while the trend continues to decline in Japan. Japan also said, “It is clear that the number of confirmed cases will increase significantly around January.” The Japanese government announced on November 29 that it would ban all foreigners from entering the country after a new mutant virus Omicron was discovered in South Africa. Less than a month after the business purpose visit to Japan, international students, and functional trainees were granted new entry, the border closure was announced again on November 8. Regarding the ban on new foreigners entering the country, Akiko Moriya, director of the Yokohama City University’s Global Promotion Office, said in an interview with NHK, “It’s a pity that (foreign students) entry was banned as soon as they thought they would resume, but I don’t think we can help it.” However, despite the ban on new foreigners entering the country, a person infected with Omicron was found in Japan on November 30. According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the infected person was a Namibian diplomat in his 30s and had no symptoms when he arrived at Narita Airport on November 28. However, the PCR test conducted immediately after entering the country was positive, and the genetic analysis of the sample confirmed that it was an Omicron infection. The man entered the country with two family members, but the remaining two were reportedly tested negative.

Japanese citizens expressed their concerns with the Omicron variant as they just recovered from the previous wave of the virus. Citizens’ anxiety is rising in Okinawa Prefecture, where U.S. military bases in Japan are concentrated in connection with the Japanese government’s ban on new entry following the discovery of Omicron. This is because new U.S. troops are still able to enter the country due to visa exemption measures under the U.S. Security Agreement. On November 30, Ryukyu Shinbo, a local media outlet in Okinawa Prefecture, pointed out the uncertainty of information sharing from the U.S. military, saying, “There is a possibility that Omicron will spread through U.S. military bases that are not subject to quarantine in Japan.”Attention is focusing on whether it will lead to the shock of Omicron and implementation of economic measures.

On November 19, the Kishida Cabinet announced economic measures worth 55.7 trillion yen (about 570 trillion won) to restore the sluggish Japanese economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus. A case in point is the resumption of the “Go To Travel” campaign, which the government supports up to half of domestic travel expenses to revitalize the tourism business and boost domestic demand. The campaign began in July last year, but was suspended during Suga’s cabinet due to increased infection. However, there are also voices of concern in the tourism industry that the occurrence of Omicron may make it difficult to resume the campaign. Prime Minister Kishida showed caution on November 29, saying, “I want to review (whether to resume) after seeing the infection situation at the end of the year and New Year holidays. The resumption of the campaign is a prerequisite to ensure safety and safety and stabilize the infection situation at this point, Saita Tetsuo said at a press conference held on November 30. “There are many unclear parts about Omicron, but I want to keep an eye on future infections.”

Mike Choi

Asia Journal

The mandate would potentially boost the number of vaccinated adults in areas where rates are lower than average. Some businesses have been actively pushing this as a requirement for their employees otherwise they would risk termination; according to employers, a majority of their employees have complied with these rules. As of now, about 25% percent of companies based in the U.S. are making it mandatory for their employees to be fully vaccinated by December 8 of this year. The White House also believes that an increase in vaccination rates would have more people back in the labor force.

Certain major cities in the U.S. have also taken an extra step to encourage people to get vaccinated. The city of Los Angeles recently announced that proof of vaccination will now be required to dine indoors. New York City has also implemented a mandate that all school teachers must be fully vaccinated.

On top of state-wide mandates, federal mandates for U.S. service members have also taken place. The Pentagon announced that military personnel have until November 28 of this year to receive the coronavirus vaccine; however there are still a number of service members who are either unvaccinated or partially. Defense officials have continued to issue warnings about extremely rare exemption cases and potential punishment for those who resist against the rules.

Due to the increase in vaccination rates, the U.S. is celebrating the decline of Covid-19 cases and many Americans are anticipating a joyful holiday season without any further restrictions of complications. Dr. Anthony Fauci insists that this is due to complying with public health precautions while being fully vaccinated.

Experts also expressed concern about the upcoming holidays as temperatures begin to drop and more people are inclined to gather indoors where there is less air circulation, potentially increasing transmission. They fear a mirroring effect of last winter’s deadly surge and continue to encourage everyone to wear their masks indoors and avoid large gatherings as much as possible.

Julie Kim

Asia Journal