Half of the Nation Has Completed the Third Dose... "The Most Effective Measure Even Against Omicron"

As of 3 PM, a total of 25.72 million vaccinations administered

On the 20th, medical staff are administering the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Jungnim-dong Community Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Amid the spreading threat of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the third dose vaccination rate has surpassed 50%.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced, "As of 3 PM on the 25th, the provisional tally shows that the third dose vaccination rate against COVID-19 has exceeded 50% of the population." The cumulative number of third dose recipients is 25,721,033, which corresponds to 50.1% of the total population. Excluding children and adolescents who are not yet eligible for the third dose, the rate among those aged 18 and over is 58.0%, and among those aged 60 and over?classified by the government as a high-risk group and strongly encouraged to receive the third dose?it has risen to 82.4%.

The KDCA emphasized, "As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly, confirmed cases are also on the rise. Vaccination remains the most effective measure against the Omicron variant. The effectiveness of the third dose in preventing infection, severe illness, and death is clearly demonstrated not only by international studies but also by analyses of domestic vaccination results."

They added, "Those who have not yet received the third dose and have passed three months since their second dose should not delay and get vaccinated promptly. Especially with the Lunar New Year holiday starting this weekend, there is concern about a surge in confirmed cases due to the rapid transmissibility of the Omicron variant and increased interpersonal contact. We earnestly urge everyone to receive their third dose before visiting their hometowns."

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