Government: "COVID-19 Cases Decline for 3 Consecutive Weeks... Vaccination Rate to Exceed 75% by End of This Month"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] As the COVID-19 vaccination rate surpassed 70%, the average daily number of confirmed cases has shown a decline for three consecutive weeks. In particular, the average daily confirmed cases over the past week have dropped to around 1,350, reaching the level seen at the beginning of the '4th wave'.

Jeon Hae-cheol, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated in the CDSCH opening remarks on the 24th, "Yesterday, the nationwide vaccination rate exceeded 70%," adding, "Considering the stable vaccination trend, the completion rate is expected to exceed 75% by the end of this month."

The time taken to reach a 70% vaccination rate is the third fastest among OECD countries. Iceland took 199 days, Portugal 236 days, and South Korea 240 days.

Deputy Head Jeon explained, "The vaccination completion rate is about 81.5% for adults aged 18 and over," and "the first dose vaccination rate as of yesterday is 79.4%." He added, "The second dose vaccination for those aged 18 to 49 is progressing smoothly, and vaccinations for children and adolescents aged 12 to 17, as well as pregnant women, are also proceeding without issues. We will strive to reach an 80% completion rate nationwide."

The number of confirmed cases is also steadily decreasing. Deputy Head Jeon analyzed, "The average daily confirmed cases over the past week were 1,357, marking a decline for three consecutive weeks since the fifth week of September, reaching the level seen at the beginning of the 4th wave (July 11?17)."

Regarding the phased plan for daily recovery (With COVID), he said, "We are preparing a detailed implementation plan centered on the Daily Recovery Support Committee to coincide with the expected transition to phased daily recovery in early November," adding, "After additional public hearings and collecting expert opinions from various fields, we will provide a detailed explanation to the public next week."

He also emphasized, "The medical response system related to home treatment is one of the important conditions for the transition to phased daily recovery," and added, "We will thoroughly prepare and supplement the emergency patient transport system, including strengthening monitoring of about 2,200 home-treated patients, pre-designating hospitals for emergency transfers, and expanding dedicated ambulance teams."

Furthermore, he stressed, "More than 14,000 nationwide entrusted medical institutions are conducting stable vaccinations based on sufficient vaccination capacity," and "We will take measures to allow residents to gradually use the 282 vaccination centers nationwide, which currently lease gymnasiums and cultural centers, as their original daily spaces."

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