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A post by a physician in South Korea recently sparked controversy, after he stated that those who had not yet contracted Covid-19 likely do not have friends.

Interpersonal problems?

According to the Korea Herald, Ma Sang-hyuk, the vice president of the Korean Vaccine Society, had first made the Facebook post on Mar. 16.

He wrote that adults who have not yet been infected with Covid-19 are those "who have interpersonal problems".

The Korea Herald reported that in an interview with a local news outlet, Ma shared that as a proponent of "living with Covid-19", his “interpersonal problems” quip had been a metaphor to emphasise on how contracting the virus is inevitable.

Ma has been one of the few experts in South Korea to state that authorities should focus on Covid-19 treatment, rather than the tightening of social distancing measures as the country grapples with an ongoing Omicron wave.

Ma's post was reportedly made when the number of new daily Covid-19 cases in Korea exceeded 400,000, and the number of deaths were hitting record highs.

The original Facebook post by Ma was later removed, but not before a screenshot of it was shared widely online.

A similar comment was also shared by a Mexican infectious disease expert earlier this year.

“If you don’t have friends infected right now, you don’t have friends,” Brenda Crabtree, a Mexican infectious-disease specialist, said on Twitter. https://t.co/K6YpuOFXIY

— David Agren (@el_reportero) February 5, 2022

Covid-19 situation in South Korea

According to News18, as of Wednesday, Mar. 23, the total number of Covid-19 infections recorded in South Korea has surpassed the 10 million mark, and nearly one out of every five people in the country has tested positive for C0vid-19.

The Associated Press reported on Mar. 22 that health officials in South Korea have instructed crematoriums to burn more bodies per day amid a record increase in the number of Covid-19 deaths.

The backlog has reportedly also overwhelmed funeral homes, where families struggle to make funeral arrangements because of the longer wait for cremations.

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