Government: "Even with 85% Vaccination Rate, Difficult to End Mask-Wearing... Will Maintain Until the Very End" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The government has stated that it is difficult to lift mask-wearing measures even if the COVID-19 vaccination completion rate reaches 85%. This comes after the quarantine authorities reversed and clarified their previous statement that achieving an 85% vaccination rate would allow overcoming the Delta variant without mask-wearing, gathering bans, or business restrictions.

On the 15th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "The explanation given yesterday by the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) was based on a theoretical model assuming certain values between the current infection reproduction number and the transmission blocking rate of vaccination, indicating that such a result is possible."

On the previous day’s regular COVID-19 response briefing, Kwon Jun-wook, the 2nd Deputy Director of the CDCH, stated, "When the vaccination completion rate reaches 85%, herd immunity will be about 80%. In that case, even the Delta variant can be overcome without mask-wearing, gathering bans, or business restrictions."

Regarding this, Son said, "It is still difficult to derive precise objective figures for the infection reproduction number of the Delta variant, its transmission, and the transmission blocking rate of vaccination, so it is hard to directly apply this theory to real-world quarantine measures."

Son emphasized, "Considering the safety and lives of the public, it is reasonable to approach this more cautiously. In particular, indoor mask-wearing is effective in preventing infection and has the advantage of not harming the common economy or livelihood facilities, so it should be maintained as a fundamental quarantine measure until the very end."

He added, "Even if the vaccination rate reaches 85%, it is difficult to lift indoor mask-wearing. This can only be considered when COVID-19 becomes completely endemic domestically, like seasonal influenza."

Ko Jae-young, spokesperson for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, also explained during a non-face-to-face back briefing that "the official position is that it is difficult to lift indoor mask-wearing even if the vaccination rate reaches 85%. The statement by Deputy Director Kwon that COVID-19 can be overcome without masks or gathering bans at an 85% vaccination completion rate was based on a theoretical model intended to explain vaccine effectiveness."

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