Last Day of the 'Vaccine 10-Dose System'... 4 out of 10 People Aged 18-49 Have Not Yet Made a Reservation

Reservation Opens for Adults Born on 8, 18, and 28 on Final Day
Vaccination Reservation Rate for Ages 18-49 at 60.3%, Below Expectations
Authorities: Including Previously Vaccinated, 70% Vaccination Possible for Under 40s

Prime Minister Kim Appeals: "Young People Also at Risk of Severe Illness Without Vaccine"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The COVID-19 vaccination pre-registration system based on the last digit of the birthdate for the general population aged 18 to 49 will conclude on the 18th with those whose birthdate ends in ‘8’ being the last group to register. With an estimated registration rate of only around 60% among the approximately 15 million people in this group, the herd immunity plan is facing a critical challenge.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, pre-registration for vaccination will begin at 8 p.m. on the 18th for young adults aged 18 to 49 whose birthdates end in 8, 18, or 28. This will mark the end of the 10-day pre-registration system that started on the 9th. However, additional registration will be possible from the 19th to the 21st, divided into ages 36 to 49 and 18 to 35.

The pre-registration rate so far for the largest-ever target group of about 15.44 million people has been below expectations. Among the 10.93 million people whose birthdates end in 9, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, and whose 10-day registration period has already ended, the registration rate was only 60.3%. On the 9th (59.2%), 3rd (59.8%), and 4th (59.1%), more than 4 out of 10 eligible people did not apply for vaccination at all.

The registration rate for unvaccinated people aged 60 to 74, which also closes on this day, is low at 23.1% (as of midnight on the 17th). This age group is considered high-risk due to many having underlying health conditions, yet more than 1.1 million out of the total 1.52 million eligible are still refusing vaccination.

The government, which has advanced its vaccination goal to “70% of the entire population vaccinated by October,” is facing increased concerns. The health authorities evaluated that “when adding those who have already completed vaccination among the entire population under 40 to those who pre-registered during the 10-day period, the rate reaches 71%.” However, considering the spread of the Delta variant and other factors, the target vaccination rate for herd immunity must be raised above 70%, so it is necessary to increase the vaccination rate among young and middle-aged adults who are reluctant to get vaccinated.

Resolving vaccine supply issues quickly is also a challenge. Because the interval between Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses has been extended to 6 weeks, the first dose must be administered by mid-September to complete vaccination by the end of October. For some people whose first dose is scheduled for late September or later in this registration, restoring the interval to the original 3 to 4 weeks is necessary to achieve the 70% vaccination goal by October.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum appealed on this day, saying, “Recently, there has been an increase in cases where infection leads to severe illness even among young people who have not been vaccinated,” and “people aged 60 and over may be more vulnerable to the fourth wave caused by the Delta variant.”

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on this day, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 1,805 from the previous day. With the effect of the Liberation Day holiday wearing off, the number surged by more than 400 compared to the previous day (1,372). Although the number of patients decreased compared to the same day last week (the 11th, 2,222 cases), because the holiday continued until Monday this week, Thursday (the 19th) could be the peak of this week’s outbreak. On this day, 660 new cases were added outside the metropolitan area, accounting for 37.4% of all locally transmitted cases.

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