About 70% of 18-49 Year Olds Booked or Vaccinated... Government Says "Hard to See Booking Rate as Low" (Update)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Approximately 70% of the population aged 18 to 49 have either completed their COVID-19 vaccination pre-registration or received the vaccine through leftover doses.

On the 18th, Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "Today, vaccination reservations begin for those aged 18 to 49 whose birthdates end with the digit '8,'" adding, "Currently, the reservation rate among eligible pre-registrants is about 60%."

Park said, "Some individuals within the 18 to 49 age group have already been vaccinated through leftover vaccines or local government autonomous vaccinations, and approximately 6.71 million people are currently being vaccinated," further explaining, "When combined with all registrants, it can be interpreted that about 70% of the 18 to 49 age group have either completed reservations or received vaccinations."

He continued, "If anyone missed making a reservation during the 10-day birthdate-based reservation period, additional reservations will be possible for one month from August 19 to September 18."

The government stated that the reservation rate for the 10-day birthdate-based system among the 18 to 49 age group is not considered low compared to other age groups.

Son Young-rae, head of the social strategy team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "About 6.71 million people, roughly 30% of the age group, have been vaccinated or are in the process of vaccination through leftover vaccines or local government autonomous vaccinations," adding, "Since the reservation results following the 10-day system show about a 70% rate, it is difficult to say that the current reservation rate is low compared to other age groups such as those in their 50s or 60s and above."

Son added, "There will be about a month-long opportunity to continue making reservations, so the reservation rate is expected to increase during this period, and the government will also make efforts to maximize it."

Regarding the necessity of imposing penalties on unvaccinated individuals, he stated, "Discussions on penalties for those who have not been vaccinated are currently ongoing, and it is considered a matter for long-term review," adding, "For now, efforts are focused on promoting vaccination as much as possible and thoroughly responding to vaccination procedures, side effects, and adverse reactions."

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