People who haven't contracted COVID-19 yet have no friends, Korean doctor says

• Anyone who hasn't contracted COVID-19 yet probably has no friends, according to a Korean doctor.
• Ma Sang-hyuk, VP of the Korean Vaccine Society, made the comments in a now-deleted Facebook post.

People who have not yet contracted COVID probably don't have any friends, one South Korean doctor said.

"The adults who have not yet been infected with COVID-19 are those who have interpersonal problems," Ma Sang-hyuk, who is vice president of the Korean Vaccine Society, wrote on Facebook on March 16, per The Korea Herald.

He deleted the post after it sparked criticism, but it was screenshot and widely circulated online, according to the outlet.

On Tuesday, he told the news site New Daily that his Facebook comments were meant to be "metaphorical."

"It emphasized 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," he said.

The same day Ma posted his comments, South Korea recorded a record 400,741 new coronavirus cases.

On Wednesday, South Korea's total COVID cases topped 10 million, the equivalent to around 20% of its population, per Reuters. With severe cases and deaths rising in the country — daily fatalities peaked at 429 last Friday — funeral homes and crematoriums are now being overwhelmed, the outlet said.

Insider has reached out to Ma Sang-hyuk for comment.