South Korea has been witnessing a surge in the number of COVID19 cases.
A South Korean doctor is facing backlash after suggesting that people who haven't had COVID-19 have no friends. Ma Sang-hyuk, the vice-president of Korean Vaccine Society, made the comments in a Facebook post, which was widely circulated inviting criticism online. The doctor later deleted the post. South Korea has witnessed resurgence in the coronavirus infection, with record-breaking daily tallies in the past few weeks. The infection is being driven by the Omicron variant, which was detected in South Africa late last year.
"The adults who have not yet been infected with Covid-19 are those who have interpersonal problems," the doctor said in his Facebook post in Korean, as reported by The Independent.
It was posted on March 16, the day South Korea recorded 400,741 new Covid cases.
The post was soon picked up by social media users, who started slamming the doctor for the comments.
"I have no great interest in socialising. Even less now. It doesn't necessarily mean it is an interpersonal problem. It's just a preference to do your own thing," a Facebook user named Belinda said, according to Metro.
Another user Sharon targeted the doctor saying “Jealousy is ugly on you.”
Ma Sang-hyuk finally deleted the post a few days later. He also gave an interview to a Korean news website Daily, in which he said the remark was only metaphorical and had been misunderstood.
“It emphasised how difficult it is for anyone to avoid the virus in a situation where there is a high rate of confirmed cases in the area,” said the doctor.
The surge in COVID-19 cases in South Korea has been led by the Omicron variant, which also hit the UK and other parts of the world hard.
But, despite the high number of infections, the South Korean government is easing lockdown restrictions, as public opinion supports removal of all social distancing restrictions.
Nearly 87 per cent of the country's 52 million residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.