Cumulative 44 Cases of 'Breakthrough Infections' Confirmed After Vaccination Completion... Pfizer 26, AZ 18 (Update)

Singer Kim Sung-kyu, Former Member of Group INFINITE, Also Suspected of Breakthrough Infection

On the 26th, when the government announced plans to provide 'vaccine recipient incentives' to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, elderly people were receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at the vaccination center in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. People who have completed their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be exempt from the immediate family gathering size limit (currently 8 people) starting from the 1st of next month. From July, they will be allowed to remove masks outdoors in places such as parks and hiking trails, and will be exempt from the set limits on the number of people allowed in indoor and outdoor multi-use facilities such as restaurants, cafes, wedding halls, religious institutions, and private gatherings. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The number of suspected 'breakthrough infection' cases, where individuals test positive after completing COVID-19 vaccination, has increased to a total of 44. By vaccine type, Pfizer accounts for 26 cases and AstraZeneca for 18 cases.

On the 28th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters stated in a regular COVID-19 briefing, "As of the 24th, there have been a total of 44 cases confirmed positive 14 days after vaccination." By vaccine type, Pfizer accounts for 26 cases and AstraZeneca for 18 cases. There were no cases reported for the Janssen vaccine as of the 24th.

Park Young-jun, head of the epidemiological investigation team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained, "We are currently analyzing and monitoring breakthrough infection status once a week," adding, "Cases that meet the definition of suspected breakthrough infection, confirmed positive 14 days after completing vaccination, total 44."

Regarding the global status of breakthrough infections, he noted that it is difficult to make simple comparisons due to differences in statistics among countries.

Park said, "Since the purpose of monitoring varies by country, simple comparisons are difficult," and added, "The case definitions and aggregation methods differ depending on each country's objectives, making direct comparisons challenging."

Park also stated, "As of the 24th, the number of breakthrough infection cases that underwent variant analysis needs to be rechecked," noting, "As of last week (the 17th), variant analysis was conducted on 9 cases, and among them, only 3 cases showed major variants." The 3 cases included 2 Alpha variants (UK variant) and 1 Beta variant (South Africa variant).

Meanwhile, singer Kim Sung-kyu, formerly of the group Infinite, was confirmed positive after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, making him the first suspected breakthrough infection case in Korea for the Janssen vaccine. Regarding this, Park explained, "In Kim's case, he was confirmed positive 17 days after receiving the Janssen vaccine, meeting the criteria for a suspected breakthrough infection case." Kim is expected to be included in next week's breakthrough infection statistics.

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