Booster Shot Interval Shortened to 4-5 Months for 60s and 50s... Vaccinations to Start After July 6 (Update)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The interval for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for high-risk groups aged 60 and over, residents and workers in infection-vulnerable facilities such as nursing hospitals and care facilities, and healthcare workers will be shortened from 6 months to 4 months after completing the primary vaccination series. For people in their 50s and priority occupational groups such as military personnel, police officers, and firefighters, the booster shot interval will also be moved up by one month, from 6 months to 5 months.

On the 17th, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced a supplementary plan to shorten the recommended booster shot interval from the current 6 months after completing the primary vaccination to 4 to 5 months, following deliberation by the Vaccination Expert Committee the previous day.

The Promotion Team stated, "We will expand early booster vaccinations for high-risk groups to respond to the increasing number of new confirmed cases and severe patients caused by the Delta variant spread and the waning effect of vaccination over time after the primary series," adding, "This is to proactively prepare for the winter season when the risk of severe illness and death increases."

Accordingly, people aged 60 and over, residents of infection-vulnerable facilities, and patients with underlying conditions (aged 18-59) will receive booster shots 4 months (120 days) after completing the primary vaccination. Workers in infection-vulnerable facilities and healthcare institutions will receive booster shots 4 months after completing the primary vaccination regardless of age, considering their high risk of transmitting the virus to elderly and patients.

People in their 50s and priority occupational groups (police, military, flight attendants) will receive booster shots 5 months (150 days) after completing the primary vaccination.

Immunocompromised individuals and those vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine will maintain the current standard and receive booster shots 2 months after completing the primary vaccination.

With the shortened vaccination interval, 8,192,000 additional booster shots will be expanded this year... Total 13,784,000 people

On the 8th, when the additional COVID-19 vaccination (booster shot) began for Janssen vaccine recipients and inpatients, residents, and workers of nursing hospitals and nursing facilities, a Janssen vaccine recipient is receiving a booster shot at Yonsei With ENT Clinic in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

With this shortened booster shot interval, the total number of people eligible for booster shots this year has expanded to 13,784,000, an increase of 8,192,000 compared to the current 6-month interval after completing the primary vaccination.

Institutional vaccination targets such as residents and workers in nursing hospitals and healthcare personnel in medical institutions can start receiving vaccinations from today (the 17th), and for infection-vulnerable facilities requiring visits from public health center vaccination teams, such as nursing facilities and various social welfare facilities, vaccinations will be conducted as quickly as possible through scheduling with public health centers.

Additionally, those who want rapid vaccination can receive same-day vaccination using leftover vaccines (via private SNS, medical institution standby lists) starting from the 22nd.

If individuals want to make a reservation for vaccination, they can do so from two weeks before their eligible vaccination date through the COVID-19 vaccination reservation website (https://ncvr.kdca.go.kr). When the reservation period arrives, individuals will be notified via text message about their eligibility and how to make a reservation.

Reservation for eligible individuals will begin sequentially from the 22nd of this month, and considering vaccine delivery schedules, reservations can be made for vaccination dates from the 6th of next month onward.

Furthermore, the Promotion Team analyzed breakthrough infection rates over time after the primary vaccination and found that in the elderly, the increase becomes noticeable from 4 months after completing the primary vaccination. An analysis of antibody formation and persistence by vaccine type in a domestic COVID-19 vaccinated group (449 healthy adults aged 20-59) showed that the peak antibody levels after vaccination were in the order of Moderna recipients, AstraZeneca-Pfizer heterologous recipients, Pfizer recipients, AstraZeneca recipients, and Janssen recipients.

Neutralization capacity against the Delta variant virus (the ability to neutralize the virus) was analyzed, showing a 2 to 4-fold reduction in neutralization against the Delta variant compared to the standard strain in AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and heterologous vaccination groups.

Analysis of antibody levels over time after vaccination showed that Pfizer recipients maintained a certain level of antibodies up to 5 months after the second dose, and AstraZeneca recipients maintained it up to 3 months after the second dose, but antibody levels gradually decreased over time, indicating the need for booster shots.

The Promotion Team explained, "According to actual vaccination cases and survey results from Israel, which first implemented booster shots, those who completed the booster shot (12 days after vaccination) showed a 1/10 reduction in confirmed cases and a 1/20 reduction in severe cases compared to those who only completed the primary vaccination."

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