COVID-19 Hits Busan

The COVID-19 numbers have been higher than normal lately, with about 700 cases per day in the country, the highest number since winter. Coupled with the sluggish rollout and other problems administering the vaccines, there is a worry of another corona-virus wave in Korea.

I was sitting in the teachers' office one day when suddenly there was a flurry of activity in the room. Teachers were talking quickly and they seemed agitated. I thought they were arguing at one point, which is basically unheard of in an open setting. Teachers were on their phones, calling and texting, announcements were made, yet I sat there still baffled as to what was going on.

I eventually asked my co-teacher if something had happened. She explained that there had been a positive COVID-19 case at a nearby elementary school (about a 10-minute walk). This was of particular concern because students at the elementary school have older siblings who attend our middle school. Any student who had siblings at the elementary school had to leave immediately and go to a clinic for a COVID-19 test. Thankfully none of our students had a positive result.

But that close call was just the beginning. Busan had a very low number for the whole year, but now it is somewhat of a hotspot. Certainly not as many cases as Seoul, but nearly five times the number of daily COVID-19 cases that we were used to in the first year of the pandemic. This week we are seeing roughly 50 cases per day in Busan, and this includes my particular area of Busan which is getting more than its share of cases these days.

Often when the numbers spike or there is some other reason for concern, the Board of Education will send a warning to the native teachers to be careful and strictly adhere to the social distancing measures. Often, it is a veiled threat to avoid gatherings and travel and it calls upon our sense of responsibility to the community and the students. This time a message was delivered, but at least a foreigner was not to blame. Apparently, someone on staff at a school decided to come to work while exhibiting symptoms.

The entire country is at the mid-point on the social distancing scale, but Seoul and Busan are now one level higher due to the increased number of cases. As such, Busan is making the daily COVID-19 report when before it was barely even mentioned. Apparently, a particular bar in Busan was been linked to over 290 cases. If the numbers continue to rise, I expect further social distancing measures to be enacted. We'll wait and see.

As for school, we have switched from 1/3 of students studying online to now having 2/3 of students studying online each week. I appreciate this because it reduces my workload somewhat, but it is difficult for the students and also the families that have to accommodate having their students at home throughout the day.

Midterm exams are next week for the grade 2 and grade 3 students at my middle school. Because 2/3 of students have to stay home each week, these grades cannot be at the school at the same time to write their exams. Adjustments were made so the grade 3s will come to school in the mornings to write their exams, and the grade 2s will come in the afternoon for their exams. This will ensure that the school is adequately socially distanced, but it is very difficult for everyone to manage this kind of schedule.

If the rising COVID-19 case numbers weren't enough, there have been problems with the acquisition and delivery of the vaccines. Currently, South Korea is primarily using the AstraZeneca vaccine plus a relatively small supply of Pfizer going to the oldest members of society. AstraZeneca's vaccine has been given to 911,228 people, while 202,438 received that of Pfizer.

The goal was to reach "herd immunity" by November, but that is becoming more and more unlikely. One newspaper quoted a government official as saying that goal was merely "aspirational".

South Korea put the AstraZeneca vaccine on hold for anyone under 60 years old because of the risk of developing blood clots. After a few days, and because of the dire situation with the number rising, that decision was modified to allow anyone over the age of 40 to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, apart from health care workers, no one remotely close to the age of 40 is in line to receive the vaccine any time soon, so for now, it's a moot point. 

Last year, the mantra was just to get through 2020 then things would be better. True, 2020 was a historically bad year for the world, but 2021 is shaping up to be much the same. In any event, it looks like the entire year will be affected by COVID-19 and although vaccines are being administered, they won't have an impact on the broader population until the end of the year. Until then, we are at risk for another wave of infections. 

I kept going with my life, trying to be as flexible as possible with all of the changes from in-class to online lessons at school. I'm still able to visit cafes, the gym, and take walks at the beach. Not a lot has changed for me, except with Busan having more infections these days, I am trying to be more careful and consistent with my facemask, hand-washing, and social distancing. I'm nearly two months into my second contract, so time is certainly flying by. When I eventually return to Canada, my memories of South Korea will be fully intertwined with COVID-19. For me, Korea and COVID-19 are forever linked.