"Will the Nth Vaccination Theory Become Reality? Following Israel and the US, the '4th Vaccine Dose Debate' Emerges?What About South Korea?"

Concerns Over Omicron Spread Remain Despite Eased Quarantine Indicators
Health Authorities: "Considering 4th Dose Based on 3rd Dose Effectiveness and Duration"
4th Dose Underway in Israel, Chile, etc... "4th Dose Increases Antibodies Fivefold" Announced

On the afternoon of the 16th of last month, a "School-based Vaccination Program" was conducted in the auditorium of a middle school in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, where students wishing to be vaccinated received the COVID-19 vaccine. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As booster shots are in full swing, discussions about the 4th COVID-19 vaccination are emerging. Some overseas countries, including Israel and the United States, have already begun administering the 4th dose.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 11th, the number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea was recorded at 3,097. The average daily cases last week (3,387.0) decreased compared to the previous week (4,119.7), and the number of critically ill patients, which had been maintaining in the 1,000 range, also dropped to 780 on that day, indicating a subsiding outbreak.

However, there are concerns that the Omicron variant could spread rapidly. Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, warned in a briefing the day before, "Although the number of confirmed cases has decreased to the 3,000 range during weekdays and critically ill patients have started to decline for the first time in about two months, there are risk factors for the domestic spread of the Omicron variant, and it is highly likely that Omicron will become the dominant variant in January."

As the spread does not subside, the government has begun discussions on the 4th vaccination. Currently, the 4th dose is being considered for immunocompromised patients such as those with leukemia, and the possibility of administering the 4th dose to the general public is also being reviewed based on overseas case analyses. Park Hyang, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters’ quarantine team, stated at a regular briefing that "Since the 3rd dose is currently underway, we will review the situation based on the quarantine status, the effectiveness and duration of the 3rd dose, and expert opinions."

President Moon Jae-in also urged to speed up the conclusion on whether to implement the 4th vaccination. In his opening remarks at a senior secretaries meeting held at the Blue House that day, President Moon said, "Thanks to the active cooperation of the public and the medical community, the COVID-19 spread continues to subside, and various quarantine indicators are clearly improving," but also expressed concern, saying, "There are two major challenges: the risk of spread during the Lunar New Year holiday and the possibility of the Omicron variant becoming widespread."

President Moon added, "I hope that before Omicron becomes the dominant strain, we do our best to complete the 3rd dose for those under 50, expand vaccinations for children and adolescents, and quickly reach a conclusion on the phased 4th vaccination."

On November 3rd last year (local time), 6-year-old child Tyler Home-Dinoma received the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine while being held by his mother at a hospital in Denver, Colorado, USA. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The 4th vaccination is already underway in some overseas countries. Israel was the first to administer the 4th dose on the 26th of last month (local time). According to local media such as the daily Haaretz on the 4th, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced, "Antibody levels increased fivefold after the 4th vaccination. This means that the 4th dose significantly enhances protection against infection, hospitalization, and severe illness."

Chile also began the 4th dose for immunocompromised individuals on the 10th, and from the 7th of next month, the 4th vaccination will be administered to citizens aged 55 and older. Chilean President Sebasti?n Pi?era visited a hospital in Santiago where the 4th dose is being administered and recommended the 4th vaccination, saying, "As time passes, the vaccine’s effectiveness decreases, and new variants weaken the vaccine’s power. It is very important to prepare in advance."

In addition, the United States is expected to start the 4th vaccination as early as this week. According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 9th, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the 4th dose this week for some immunocompromised individuals who received their booster shots five months ago in August last year.

Meanwhile, the introduction of oral COVID-19 treatments, regarded as a 'game changer,' is expected to be finalized as early as the 12th. Lee Ji-eun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Central Accident Response Headquarters, said in a briefing on the morning of the 11th, "We may be able to provide information on the schedule and utilization plan for the treatment as early as tomorrow (the 12th). We will announce it in the afternoon after further discussions."

The government has currently signed purchase contracts for a total of 1,004,000 doses of oral treatments, including 762,000 doses of Pfizer’s Paxlovid and 242,000 doses of Merck’s Molnupiravir.

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