Ministry of Education and KDCA Discuss Vaccination Plans for Children and Adolescents... Announcement Expected Soon

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[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye shared recent trends in COVID-19 cases among students and staff with Jeong Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), on the 12th, and discussed vaccination plans for children and adolescents.

The Ministry of Education announced that Deputy Prime Minister Yoo held a video conference with Commissioner Jeong in the afternoon to discuss measures for enhancing the epidemiological investigation system in schools to ensure safe in-person classes in the second semester, as well as the safety and vaccination plans for children and adolescents.

The KDCA, following the recommendation from the Vaccination Expert Committee held last month after internal review to include children and adolescents as vaccination targets, plans to finalize and announce specific details soon regarding the actual vaccination targets, implementation timing, vaccines to be used, vaccination institutions, and methods.

The Ministry of Education is concerned that, given the recent decline in COVID-19 infection rates among vaccinated age groups, the infection rate among unvaccinated children and adolescents may become relatively higher than other age groups as the second half of this year progresses. Accordingly, to minimize confirmed cases among school-age groups, they plan to re-emphasize the quarantine guidelines that students and staff must follow during the Chuseok holiday period and provide guidance to schools at all levels.

Additionally, the KDCA plans to revise the "COVID-19 Epidemiological Investigation Guidelines for Schools, Kindergartens, and Daycare Centers" by establishing standard operating procedures for timely risk assessment and rapid response through prompt epidemiological investigations when confirmed cases occur in schools and other institutions.

First, education (support) offices will organize emergency contact systems with relevant local agencies such as public health centers, and schools will prepare and manage information on facility status and personnel details in advance. Furthermore, when confirmed cases occur, health authorities will promptly conduct exposure risk assessments and follow-up measures based on data received from schools to minimize further spread.

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