South Korea ranks 8th among 'Best Countries to Live with COVID-19'... "Eased case increase, vaccine supply impact"

On the 28th of last month, medical staff were collecting specimens at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, even during the holiday. Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] As of last month, South Korea ranked 8th in the 'Best Countries to Live in During the COVID-19 Era' list.

According to Bloomberg's 'February COVID-19 Resilience Ranking' released on the 1st, South Korea ranked 8th among 53 countries evaluated.

South Korea was ranked 4th when the ranking was first compiled in November last year, but it dropped to 8th in December and 12th in January this year, before rising again after three months.

Bloomberg evaluates and compiles scores out of 100 based on 11 criteria each month, including confirmed cases per 100,000 population, COVID-19 fatality rate, deaths per 1 million population, vaccine procurement rate relative to population, number of vaccinations per 100 people, lockdown intensity, and economic growth forecast.

Bloomberg reported that the rise in South Korea's ranking last month is presumed to be influenced by the easing trend in confirmed cases and vaccine procurement.

In last month's ranking, New Zealand was 1st, followed by Australia in 2nd, Singapore in 3rd, and Finland in 4th.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 1st, there were 355 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 90,029. This is one less than the previous day (356), maintaining the 300s for two consecutive days.