Government to Implement COVID-19 Vaccination for Ages 5-11 by End of Month... 'Confirmed Cases' Recognized Based on 'Rapid Antigen' Test Results

Third Dose for Ages 12-17 Also Implemented... 95,000 Paxlovid Doses to Be Timely Introduced in April
Living Support Fund Adjusted to Fixed Payment of 20,000 Won per Person per Day

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government announced that for the next month, individuals who test 'positive' on rapid antigen tests conducted at local clinics and medical institutions will be recognized as 'confirmed cases' without the need for additional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11, who were previously excluded from the vaccination target group, will begin at the end of this month. Additionally, 95,000 doses of the oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid, scheduled for introduction next month, will be procured in a timely manner.

On the 14th, Jeon Hae-cheol, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), stated in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting, "The government will begin vaccinating children aged 5 to 11, who were previously excluded from the vaccination target group, through approximately 1,200 designated entrusted medical institutions nationwide starting from the end of March." He explained, "This decision was made considering that safety and efficacy have been sufficiently verified in foreign countries that have already implemented vaccinations, and that the proportion of confirmed cases under the age of 11 exceeds 15% of the total confirmed cases." The number of Omicron variant confirmed cases reached 190,000 in the first week of March, 280,000 last week, and is expected to peak this week.

He also announced that the third dose vaccination for adolescents aged 12 to 17 will begin today. Deputy Head Jeon said, "To ensure the normal progress of academic schedules at all school levels, the third dose vaccination for adolescents aged 12 to 17, who have completed the basic vaccination series at least three months ago, will start today." He emphasized, "High-risk children and adolescents, including immunocompromised individuals, are encouraged to actively participate in vaccination."

For the next month, the process for recognizing confirmed cases will also be simplified. If the rapid antigen test conducted at local clinics or medical institutions is 'positive',

the individual will be recognized as a 'confirmed case' without additional PCR testing. In particular, living support payments will be adjusted to a fixed amount of 20,000 KRW per person per day.

Deputy Head Jeon stated, "If the rapid antigen test result is 'positive', the individual will be recognized as a 'confirmed case' without additional PCR testing. Through rapid confirmation, non-face-to-face medical consultations and prescriptions for treatments can be provided early. We will strive to ensure that the 95,000 doses of oral antiviral treatment scheduled for introduction in April are procured in a timely manner."

He added, "Living support payments will be adjusted to a fixed amount of 20,000 KRW per person per day, and paid sick leave for five days will be focused on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises with poor working conditions. This will apply to hospitalized or isolated individuals notified of isolation from the 16th onward."

Furthermore, the scope of medical expense support related to vaccination will be expanded from seven to eleven types. This measure follows the recent announcement by the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Committee recognizing a causal relationship between mRNA vaccine administration and the occurrence of myocarditis.

Deputy Head Jeon said, "The government will add myocarditis to the criteria for recognizing causality and expand the types of adverse reactions eligible for compensation from seven to eleven based on statistical associations. We will continue to expand medical expense support and damage compensation related to vaccination."

Meanwhile, efforts will be accelerated to support residents affected by wildfires on the East Coast. Approximately 400 houses were destroyed by wildfires in the Gyeongbuk and Gangwon regions, resulting in over 1,700 cases of property damage and about 400 displaced persons.

Deputy Head Jeon stated, "The main fires in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, and Samcheok, Gangwon, which lasted for nine days, were extinguished yesterday." He added, "We will operate a joint recovery support headquarters with relevant ministries to do our utmost to ensure that support for displaced persons and others facing great difficulties is provided promptly."

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