78.9% of Citizens Will Receive 3rd COVID-19 Vaccine Dose... Differences Based on Adverse Reaction Experience

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] As the spread of COVID-19 intensifies, the government has decided to shorten the interval for the third dose (booster shot) for those aged 18 and over to three months, and 78.9% of COVID-19 vaccine recipients have expressed willingness to receive an additional dose.

Professor Yoo Myung-soon’s team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health revealed these results on the 11th from the 'Public Perception Survey on the Experience of Gradual Return to Normal Life.' This survey was conducted by Korea Research targeting 912 adults nationwide aged 19 to 69. The survey period was from the 22nd to the 29th of last month, with a sampling error of ±3.25 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

When asked about their willingness to receive additional and continuous vaccinations (also next year) among respondents who had received the COVID-19 vaccine, 78.9% answered that they would get vaccinated. 11.6% responded that they would not get vaccinated, and 9.5% said they had no position yet or were unsure.

Among those who responded that they had no intention of additional or continuous vaccination, the most common reason was "feeling that the vaccine is not safe" at 39.8%. This was followed by "dissatisfaction with previous vaccination experience" (33.7%), "feeling that the vaccine’s effectiveness is not significant" (11.2%), "inconvenience with vaccination appointment notifications, vaccination sites, or procedures" (10.2%), "COVID-19 infection is not a significant threat to me" (5.1%), and "distrust of health authorities or experts" (1.0%).

47.3% of Vaccinated Respondents Reported 'Adverse Reactions'... Most Were 'Mild'

Among respondents who had received the vaccine, 47.3% answered "yes" to the question "Did you experience any adverse reactions after vaccination?" while 52.7% answered "no." Among those who reported adverse reactions, the severity was most commonly "mild" (31.1%), followed by "moderate" (48.1%) and "severe" (20.8%).

Regarding willingness to receive additional vaccination based on adverse reaction experience, 70.9% of those who experienced adverse reactions said they would get vaccinated (willing), 18% said they would not (unwilling), and 11% were undecided or unsure. In contrast, among those who did not experience adverse reactions, 86.1% said they would get vaccinated (willing), 5.8% said they would not (unwilling), and 8.1% were undecided or unsure, showing a difference in willingness based on adverse reaction experience.

On the 6th, as the quarantine pass (vaccination certificate or negative test confirmation) is newly applied to indoor multi-use facilities such as restaurants, cafes, academies, and PC rooms, there is strong opposition to the application of the quarantine pass to adolescents. On this day, a notice regarding 'Facilities Mandatory for Quarantine Pass' is posted at a study cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

"Policy Sensitivity Needed to Reduce Distrust through Enhanced Communication and Resolving Vaccination Inconveniences"

Professor Yoo’s team stated, "The willingness for the third dose is high at about 79% overall, which is positive," and added, "Especially, previous vaccination experiences appear to influence future vaccination willingness." Professor Yoo assessed, "Among vaccine recipients, 47% self-reported experiencing adverse reactions to some degree, and future vaccination rates and speed may depend on the responsiveness of the government, health authorities, and scientific medical experts to these individual experiences." To increase the third dose vaccination rate, "It is important to provide tailored information to help vaccinated individuals make informed decisions, listening and empathizing without invalidating their subjective experiences, whether large or small," and advised, "Policy sensitivity is needed to reduce distrust by presenting practical measures to alleviate various inconveniences even slightly."

Meanwhile, the Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced that as of the previous day, the recommended interval for the third dose, previously set at 4 to 5 months after the second dose, will be shortened to three months for all individuals aged 18 and over. This decision aims to proactively prepare for the worsening domestic quarantine situation and the spread of the new variant virus Omicron, especially targeting socially active age groups by advancing the vaccination interval. Accordingly, all citizens aged 18 and over who have reached the three-month interval can make advance reservations starting from the 13th of this month and receive vaccinations from the 15th.

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