Widespread 'Breakthrough Infections' Across Regions Fuel Growing Vaccine Skepticism

74 Infected at Gyeongbuk Pub... All Vaccinated Except One
Cheonghae Unit: 27 Crew Members with Booster Shot Confirmed
Experts: "Vaccines Hard to Stop Spread, But Needed for Herd Immunity"

On the 26th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 10,000 for the first time due to the spread of Omicron, citizens visited a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Due to the impact of the COVID-19 variant Omicron, domestic new confirmed cases have surged, putting quarantine authorities on high alert. Despite receiving the second dose or booster shots of the vaccine in various regions, numerous cases of infection have occurred, leading to the spread of vaccine skepticism. However, experts emphasize that vaccination is essential as its purpose is to prevent severe cases of COVID-19.

According to Andong City in Gyeongbuk Province, on the 27th, a total of 74 people, including 58 high school seniors who had finished their entrance exams and 16 general public, were collectively infected with COVID-19 at a pub in Ok-dong. It is known that they entered the pub after verifying their quarantine pass but did not comply with mask-wearing or social distancing while enjoying drinking and singing.

Among the 74 confirmed cases, all but one were confirmed as breakthrough infections. Forty-eight had received the second dose, and 25 had completed the third dose. The remaining unvaccinated individual was a secondary infection case who contracted the virus through contact with a family member who had visited the pub.

Meanwhile, a cluster infection case also occurred in a military unit. On the 27th, it was confirmed that 27 members of the Cheonghae Unit, deployed in the Gulf of Aden, were infected en masse. The confirmed cases included 18 officers and 9 soldiers, all of whom had completed the second dose of vaccination before departure in November last year and had recently received booster shots. The Cheonghae Unit also experienced an early return incident in July last year when 272 out of 301 unit members of the 34th unit (Munmu the Great ship) were confirmed with COVID-19.

Medical staff receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Photo by Yonhap News

As a result, some voices have even begun to question the reliability of the quarantine pass policy. They argue that if breakthrough infections occur even after completing vaccination and visiting multi-use facilities, the procedure of verifying vaccination status is essentially meaningless. Especially since public opposition to the quarantine pass is high, such claims are gaining traction. There are also many responses expressing skepticism about vaccines. Despite more than 50% of the total domestic population having completed the third dose and 85.6% having received at least the second dose, questions have been raised about the inability to prevent breakthrough infections.

However, experts agree that while vaccination alone cannot completely block the spread, it is necessary to achieve herd immunity.

Professor Jung Jaehoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine wrote on Facebook on the 5th, "It is difficult to control the epidemic with vaccines alone. The scale of the epidemic inevitably increases until the proportion of immunity acquired through vaccination and infection reaches a certain level," but added, "However, this increase does not always continue. Once a certain level of immunity is reached, the scale of the epidemic naturally decreases. This is the effect of herd immunity."

He continued, "Although it has become difficult to achieve herd immunity through vaccination alone, if vaccination covers a significant portion and the rest is supplemented by immunity through infection, it is possible to reach herd immunity levels. Without vaccination, the epidemic scale would have increased much more rapidly, and the fatality rate would have been higher due to patient cases exceeding critical care capacity."

Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center also said, "Recent breakthrough infection cases show the severity of variants and the difficulty in responding to them. Just as bacteria develop resistance when antibiotics are used, viruses also mutate despite vaccination, leading to reduced effectiveness. This is a natural phenomenon," emphasizing, "The flu vaccine changes every year; it is not the same vaccine every time. Therefore, it is not correct to argue vaccine ineffectiveness just because breakthrough infections occur. Vaccines are clearly effective in preventing severe illness."

He added, "Looking at cluster infection patterns, they seem to occur when people have prolonged close contact in high-contact intensity settings," and stressed, "Even if vaccinated, one should not be complacent but continue to follow basic quarantine rules such as wearing masks."

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