444 Student COVID-19 Cases Decrease Over 4 Weeks... Slowing Increase in Youth Vaccination Rate (Comprehensive)

4-Week Daily Student Cases 964→520.6
University Student Cases 77.7→44.5
Slower Increase in Youth Vaccination Rate Compared to Previous Week
Impact of Court's Suspension of Vaccine Pass Enforcement

On the first day of the quarantine pass validity period being applied, the 3rd, citizens are checking the validity status of their quarantine passes at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul. From today, if the validity period expires, it will be difficult to use multi-use facilities such as museums, karaoke rooms, and movie theaters. In this case, unless a negative PCR test certificate is submitted, a third vaccination must be received for the quarantine pass to be valid. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The average daily number of confirmed student cases over the past week was 520.6. This represents a decrease of 444 cases per day compared to four weeks ago.

According to the Ministry of Education on the 6th, the average daily number of confirmed cases among nationwide kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school students from December 30 to January 5 was 520.6, down 254.7 from the previous week (775.3).

Student Confirmed Cases, Which Peaked in December, Decline for Four Consecutive Weeks

The average daily number of confirmed student cases over the past four weeks decreased from 964.0, 959.1, 775.3, to 520.6.

Most schools began their winter break from mid-December to early January, and the increase in vaccination rates among adolescents is believed to have contributed to the decline in confirmed cases.

The average daily number of confirmed cases among school staff decreased from 79.9 to 33.4 over the four weeks. Similar to students, the number peaked at 79.9 in December and then declined to 81.1, 57.6, and 33.4.

The average daily number of confirmed university student cases decreased from 77.7 to 44.5 over the four weeks. The highest was 77.7 in the second week of December, followed by 77.6, 62.0, and 44.5. During the same period, confirmed cases among university staff dropped from 14.7 to 5.1.

Adolescent Vaccination Rate Growth Slows After Suspension of Youth Vaccine Pass Enforcement

Compared to a week ago, the increase in adolescent vaccination rates is also slowing. After the court's suspension decision regarding the enforcement of the youth vaccine pass, the growth in vaccination rates has stalled. On the 4th, the Seoul Administrative Court accepted a request to suspend the enforcement of the vaccine pass applied to youth facilities such as academies and study rooms.

According to the Ministry of Education, the first-dose vaccination completion rate for children and adolescents (ages 13?18) increased by 0.6 percentage points between January 4 and 6. This is about one-third of the 1.9 percentage point increase recorded between December 28 and 30, a week earlier.

As of midnight on the 6th, the first-dose vaccination completion rate for children and adolescents (13?18 years old) was 76.2%, and the second-dose completion rate was 54%. Two days earlier, on the 4th at midnight, the rates were 75.6% for the first dose and 52.1% for the second dose.

As of midnight on the 28th, a week ago, the first-dose completion rate was 71.1%, and the second dose was 47.8%. On the 30th at midnight, the first-dose completion rate was 73.0%, and the second dose was 49.1%. Before the announcement to postpone the enforcement of the youth vaccine pass by one month, the increase in vaccination rates was much larger.

Regarding this, a Ministry of Education official said, "It is difficult to make a definitive statement at this time, but the vaccination rate increased by 0.3 percentage points over two days, January 5 and 6," adding, "We will monitor changes in vaccination rates and provide updates later."

Meanwhile, separate from the suspension decision on the youth vaccine pass enforcement, a hearing on the suspension requests of the vaccine pass effectiveness by 1,023 current doctors and others is scheduled for the 7th.

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