COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Surpasses 10% in Three Months

Following 660,000 on the 27th,
over 450,000 vaccinated today achieves 10% coverage

Government: "13 million vaccinated by mid-year"
Possible with daily average of 240,000 vaccinations

On the 28th, elderly individuals who completed their COVID-19 vaccinations were waiting in the observation area at the vaccination center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the same day, the number of new first-dose vaccinations the previous day reached approximately 660,000, combining about 570,000 recipients of the AZ vaccine and about 80,000 recipients of the Pfizer vaccine. This was the highest daily vaccination scale ever recorded, and the nationwide first-dose vaccination rate, which had maintained the 7% range since the 7th, exceeded 8% and entered the 9% range after 21 days. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The COVID-19 vaccination rate relative to the domestic population is expected to exceed 10% on the 28th.

This means that 1 out of 10 citizens will have completed their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It has been 91 days since the first COVID-19 vaccination began in the country on February 26. The government plans to achieve its initial goal of administering the first dose to 13 million people by the first half of the year.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced that as of midnight on the 28th, 657,192 people aged 65 to 74 received their first dose of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine on the 27th, the first day of vaccination for this elderly group. Among them, 575,176 received the AZ vaccine, and 82,016 received the Pfizer vaccine.

Including 54,002 people who received their second dose, a total of 711,194 people were vaccinated on the 27th alone. This number is more than double the 306,523 vaccinations administered on April 30, when the government was accelerating efforts to complete 3 million first doses in April.

As a result, the total number of people who have completed their first dose reached 4,688,520, accounting for 9.1% of the population. The number of fully vaccinated individuals also reached 2,068,877, representing 4.1%.

It is expected that the first dose vaccination rate relative to the population will surpass 10% on this day. The resident registration population used by health authorities for calculating vaccination rates was 51,349,116 as of the end of last year. Even if more than 450,000 vaccinations are administered during the day, the number of first dose recipients will exceed 5.14 million, pushing the vaccination rate beyond 10%.

On this day, 400,000 people had made reservations for AZ vaccine vaccinations at designated medical institutions, and when combined with those receiving leftover vaccines and Pfizer vaccinations, achieving a 10% vaccination rate is expected to be feasible. The day before, although 520,000 people had initially reserved AZ vaccinations at designated medical institutions, the actual number vaccinated exceeded 570,000. Health authorities explained, "This difference appears to have resulted from vaccinations conducted through standby lists and rapid same-day reservations."

On the 26th, elderly people are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at the vaccination center in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The government is accelerating efforts to complete the first dose for 13 million elderly and high-risk individuals by the end of next month. To achieve this goal, 8.3 million people must be vaccinated by the end of June, which means an average of about 240,000 vaccinations per day.

The authorities state that with strengthened vaccination capacity, it is currently possible to vaccinate up to 1 million people per day, and as the target population continues to expand, there is little difficulty expected in achieving the goal. Following the start of vaccinations for those aged 65 to 74 the day before, vaccinations for 4 million people aged 60 to 64 and 360,000 kindergarten, daycare, and first- and second-grade elementary school teachers will begin on the 7th of next month. Vaccinations for essential workers under 30 and military personnel are also planned for next month.

The improved vaccine supply further supports the government's determination. Around 10 a.m. on this day, 828,000 doses of the AZ vaccine were shipped from SK Bioscience's factory in Andong, Gyeongbuk. Following the shipment of 1,069,000 doses the previous day, a total of about 1.9 million doses were supplied over two days. Additionally, on the 31st, 55,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, which will be the third vaccine introduced domestically, will arrive at GC Green Cross's Ochang factory, responsible for domestic distribution.

In July, vaccination capacity will be further increased, and vaccinations for the general population aged 18 to 59 will begin. The quarantine authorities plan to designate 1,500 designated medical institutions equipped for Pfizer vaccine administration starting in July to promote Pfizer vaccinations. Furthermore, people aged 50 to 59, high school seniors and college entrance exam candidates, and elementary, middle, and high school teachers will be prioritized for vaccination starting in July.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.