Government: "Omicron Fatality Rate 0.08% with 3rd Dose... Comparable to Seasonal Flu"

Fatality Rate of 0.5% for Unvaccinated Individuals Infected with Omicron Variant

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] A study has found that even if infected with COVID-19 after receiving the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the fatality rate drops to the level of seasonal flu.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 23rd, an analysis was conducted on 136,046 confirmed cases whose variant analysis was completed. Among those who received the third dose, the fatality rate upon infection with the Omicron variant was 0.08%.

Currently, the fatality rate of the Omicron variant in South Korea is estimated at 0.18%, but for those who received the third vaccine dose, the fatality rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points, reaching a level similar to that of seasonal flu fatality rates (0.05?0.1%).

According to health authorities, although there are no precise national statistics for seasonal flu, academic information suggests that approximately 3 to 7 million people are infected during the annual flu season in South Korea, with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 deaths.

On the other hand, the fatality rate for unvaccinated individuals infected with the Omicron variant was 0.5%, more than five times higher than that of seasonal flu. Among the high-risk group aged 60 and above, the fatality rate for those who received the third dose was 0.5%, while for unvaccinated individuals it was 5.39%, more than ten times higher than that of the third dose recipients. The fatality rate for those under 60 who received the third dose was 0%.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, explained at a briefing that "Although Omicron itself has a low fatality rate, the effect of vaccination also has an overwhelming impact," adding, "For those under 60 who have completed the third dose, the risk of death from Omicron infection is almost nonexistent, and even for those 60 and older, receiving the third dose reduces the risk to less than one-twentieth of that during the Delta variant period."

He continued, "It is difficult to say that the risk of Omicron is similar to that of seasonal flu for those who have not completed vaccination," urging people to get vaccinated again, emphasizing, "The more people complete vaccination, the safer the lives of themselves, their families, and those around them become, and COVID-19 can be regarded as an endemic disease."

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