40% of Adolescents Aged 12-17 Have Received First Dose... "Vaccination Rate Increases with Age"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] More than 4 out of 10 children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced at a regular briefing on the 25th that as of midnight, out of 2,768,836 individuals aged 12 to 17, 1,181,237 had received the first dose, resulting in a first-dose vaccination rate of 42.7%. Additionally, 478,301 have completed the second dose, with a full vaccination rate of 17.3%.

Among those aged 12 to 17, the 16 to 17 age group, who began vaccination earlier, has a first-dose vaccination rate of 70.4% and a full vaccination rate of 48.7%.

The vaccination rate for those aged 12 to 15 is still slow. Among the 12 to 15 age group scheduled to receive the first dose by the 27th of this month, 29.1% have received the first dose, and only 1.9% have completed vaccination.

Kim Gi-nam, head of the Vaccination Planning Division at the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, expressed concern, saying, "With the transition to normal life across society, including schools, children and adolescents are increasingly exposed to the risk of infection," and "Recently, about 500 confirmed cases per day on average have been occurring among those aged 18 and under."

Kim added, "Among confirmed cases in the past two weeks for those aged 12 to 17, 95.5% were unvaccinated, and all severe cases among those 18 and under have occurred in the unvaccinated group," and "For the 16 to 17 age group, where vaccination started earlier, half have completed the basic vaccination, so the daily average number of confirmed cases has been decreasing since November."

Considering the increasing number of confirmed cases, authorities have extended the pre-registration period for vaccination for children and adolescents aged 12 to 17. Accordingly, those aged 12 to 17 can make vaccination reservations until 6 p.m. on the 31st of next month and receive their first dose between the 29th of this month and January 22 of next year.

Kim added, "Since the 23rd, we have been accepting additional pre-registrations for vaccination for those aged 12 to 17 through the pre-registration website so that many adolescents can participate in vaccination and make reservations according to their preferred schedule," and "We once again urge children and adolescents to get vaccinated to prevent infection, severe illness, and complications, and to maintain daily life such as attending school."

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