A top doctor who claimed that those who haven't had Covid yet probably have no friends has faced a fierce backlash.
The South Korean physician has since deleted his comment following a huge wave of criticism.
Ma Sang-hyuk, who is vice-president of the Korean Vaccine Society, wrote on Facebook : “The adults who have not yet been infected with Covid-19 are those who have inter-personal problems”.
The comment quickly went viral, sparking a fierce response from people all around the world, North Wales Live reports.
In an interview with South Korean news site Daily, Dr Sang-hyuk claimed that his words were meant to be ‘metaphorical’ and had been misunderstood.
He said: “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.”
On the day the doctor made his comments South Korea recorded 400,741 new Covid cases while the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA) warned that the Omicron variant is driving the record wave of infections.
One Facebook user wrote: “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.”
Meanwhile, others claimed they had been in contact with the infected but had just been fortunate not to catch the virus.
Another added: “I have been a direct contact to about a dozen people for the past three weeks and I feel lucky I haven’t gotten it.”
In the UK the latest government figures shows that in the week to Friday, March 25, 599,244 new people tested positive.
Meanwhile Spain has become one of the first EU countries to scrap testing and mandatory self-isolation for all suspected Covid-19 cases from today.
