93% of New Confirmed Cases from May to July and 91% of Severe and Fatal Cases Are Unvaccinated

The Probability of COVID-19 Transmission from Fully Vaccinated Individuals to Others Is 50-70% Lower Than That of Unvaccinated Individuals

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] More than 9 out of 10 people infected with COVID-19 from May to July this year were unvaccinated. It was also confirmed that over 90% of severe cases and deaths were among the unvaccinated.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 23rd, among the 65,347 confirmed cases from May 1 to July 24, 61,055 people had never received a single vaccine dose. This accounts for 93.4% of all confirmed cases. The rest were 5.2% (3,399 people) who had received the first dose and 1.4% (893 people) who were fully vaccinated.

During the same period, there were 1,415 severe cases and deaths due to COVID-19. Among them, 1,292 were unvaccinated, accounting for 91.3%. The remainder were 8.1% (114 people) first-dose recipients and 0.6% (9 people) fully vaccinated.

Among those under 60 years old, who were not prioritized for vaccination in the first half of the year, 691 severe cases were recorded during the same period. Of these, 611 were unvaccinated, making up 84.4%. Next were first-dose recipients at 14.6% (106 people) and fully vaccinated at 1.0% (7 people).

Among the deaths identified up to the 21st of this month, all deceased individuals in their 20s were confirmed to have underlying health conditions. Park Young-jun, head of the CDCH epidemiological investigation team, stated, "All eight confirmed deceased cases in their 20s had underlying diseases, and although they were eligible for vaccination, the reasons for not receiving the vaccine have not been identified."

The probability that fully vaccinated individuals transmit COVID-19 to others is also 50-70% lower than that of unvaccinated individuals. Park explained, "According to data from the UK, the probability that breakthrough infections after vaccination transmit the virus to others is up to 50% lower than that of unvaccinated people. Dutch data also confirmed that vaccination reduces additional transmission by up to 70%."

Meanwhile, the CDCH cited the absolute increase in confirmed cases as the reason for the rise in severe cases and deaths. Bae Gwang-taek, head of the CDCH situation management team, said, "Although the fatality rate has decreased since May, when the effects of vaccination began to appear, the number of deaths and severe cases is increasing due to the rise in new confirmed cases. The government is striving to resolve these issues through vaccination progress and quarantine measures."

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