Health Authorities Consider Recommending 3rd COVID-19 Vaccination Even for Those with Previous Infection History

Possibility of a New Wave After This Fall Amid Omicron Surge

Medical staff at a hospital in Seoul are preparing to administer the Novavax vaccine.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] The quarantine authorities are considering recommending a third COVID-19 vaccination even for those with a history of infection.

Kwon Geun-yong, head of the Vaccination Management Team at the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Group, stated at the Central Disease Control Headquarters briefing, "We are reviewing whether it is necessary to recommend the third vaccination even for those with a history of infection."

Currently, those who were infected after the second vaccination and have recovered do not need to receive the third vaccination. If infected without any vaccination, they must complete up to the second dose to be considered fully vaccinated.

However, with the spread of the Omicron variant and the possibility of a new wave this fall, the quarantine authorities have begun reviewing additional vaccination plans. Regarding this, Kwon said, "We will provide details after organizing expert consultations."

Additionally, the authorities are considering expanding the fourth vaccination target from immunocompromised individuals and high-risk facilities such as nursing hospitals and care facilities to include the elderly. Kwon explained, "The fourth vaccination for the elderly focuses more on preventing severe illness and death rather than infection prevention," adding, "We are comprehensively reviewing how meaningful the prevention of severe illness is up to the third vaccination for the elderly and how much it can be increased with the fourth vaccination."

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