COVID-19 4th Vaccine Dose Expanded to Elderly Aged 60 and Above (Update)

Announcement of Social Distancing Adjustment Plan and Normalization Measures for Quarantine and Medical System on the 15th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The government is expanding the target group for the 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose to include those aged 60 and over.

Kwon Deok-cheol, 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 13th, "We plan to expand the 4th dose vaccination to the elderly aged 60 and above," adding, "This plan was made after analyzing the 4th dose vaccination trends in other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and thoroughly verifying the effectiveness and safety of the vaccination with domestic experts."

Deputy Head Kwon added, "Detailed information on the vaccination method and schedule will be specifically announced at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency briefing at 2:30 p.m. today."

Earlier, the government had been administering the 4th dose since February to nursing hospitals and facilities nationwide, as well as immunocompromised individuals.

Deputy Head Kwon stated, "The rate of severe cases and mortality among the unvaccinated compared to those who have completed vaccination is analyzed to be approximately 31 times and 17 times higher, respectively," emphasizing that "vaccination is the strongest defense against COVID-19."

According to overseas studies, the recovery period for Omicron infection is on average 4.4 days for those who received the 3rd dose, which is shorter than the 8.3 days for those who received the 2nd dose.

Along with this, the quarantine authorities plan to announce comprehensive measures to normalize quarantine and medical systems, together with adjustments to social distancing measures, this Friday.

Deputy Head Kwon said, "Looking at international trends, especially in Europe, we see moves to end COVID-19 related emergencies or lift quarantine measures and transition back to normal life," adding, "We will also proceed cautiously by comprehensively considering the high vaccination rate, the stabilization of the outbreak, and the medical response system."

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