'COVID-19 Infections Increased Throughout March Despite Full Vaccination'

The Proportion of Unvaccinated COVID-19 Cases Decreased from 10.7% in the Second Week of February to 6.5% in the Fourth Week of March

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The proportion of confirmed COVID-19 cases infected despite completing the 2nd and 3rd vaccine doses is increasing.

According to the "Proportion of Unvaccinated and First Dose Vaccinated Among COVID-19 Confirmed Cases" compiled by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 7th, the proportion of unvaccinated confirmed cases decreased every week throughout March. It went from 7.3% in the first week of March → 7.0% in the second week → 6.7% in the third week → 6.5% in the fourth week. Since the second week of February (10.7%), the proportion of unvaccinated among confirmed cases has dropped to single digits.

On the other hand, the proportion of confirmed cases who completed the 2nd to 4th doses increased weekly. It was 92.8% in the first week of March → 93.0% in the second week → 93.3% in the third week → 93.5% in the fourth week.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases who completed the 3rd dose accounted for more than 60% of all confirmed cases starting from the third week of March. Additionally, from the third week, confirmed cases who completed the 4th dose were also identified. The proportion of confirmed cases who completed the 4th dose was 0.1% in the third week of March and 0.3% in the fourth week.

Since April 2021, when vaccination completion was first confirmed, until the 26th of last month, there have been 5,178,207 breakthrough infections among those who completed the 3rd dose. Approximately 16.3% of the domestic 3rd dose recipients contracted COVID-19. Among them, 1,989 were severe cases, and 3,209 deaths were recorded.

The health authorities recommend the 4th dose for immunocompromised individuals and basic vaccination for high-risk children based on the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing severe illness and death. According to the KDCA, as of the first week of March, the 3rd dose's effectiveness in preventing severe illness compared to unvaccinated individuals is 92.0%, and its effectiveness in preventing death is 92.9%. As of the 7th, the pre-registration rate for COVID-19 vaccines among children aged 5 to 11 is 1.6%, and the vaccination rate is 0.7%.

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