"Resurgence Has Begun"... Europe Moves to 4th Vaccination, What About Korea?

ECDC·EMA Recommend 4th Dose Up to Age 60
COVID Resurgence in France and Italy, 4th Dose Begins

South Korea Already Vaccinating 60+, May Lower to 50s

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As Omicron COVID-19 variants such as BA.5 spread globally, European Union (EU) member states are lowering the age eligibility for the 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose to 60 and above and are encouraging vaccinations.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which oversee the EU's disease control and health policies, recommended on the 11th (local time) a second booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 60 and older. This recommendation is for adults who have already received the initial two doses plus a third dose, which was considered a booster. Following the initial decision in April to set the 4th dose eligibility at 80 years and older, the age threshold has now been significantly lowered.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine 'Comirnaty' [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

EU member states have accepted this recommendation and begun efforts to increase vaccination rates. The Italian Ministry of Health announced on the 12th that it will start a 4th dose vaccination campaign targeting all adults aged 60 and above.

France had already announced plans to lower the age for the 4th dose before the EU's official recommendation. In April, French health authorities continued administering the 4th dose to those aged 80 and above and began offering vaccinations to those aged 60 and above.

The rapid acceptance of the 4th dose across European countries appears to be due to the swift dominance of new variants like BA.5, which have stronger immune evasion and faster spread than previous variants, increasing the likelihood of a resurgence. In Italy, the weekly average of new confirmed cases surged from 20,516 on the 11th of last month to 102,501 on this day. France also saw an increase in weekly average new cases from 17,496 to 128,893 during the same period.

However, pessimistic views prevail regarding whether the 4th dose will be administered as widely as governments hope. In Europe, where the 2nd dose vaccination rate has already reached 70-80%, vaccination rates have plateaued. Since May, Italy's 2nd dose vaccination rate has remained around 85%, and France has not surpassed the high 70% range.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo received the fourth COVID-19 booster shot on the afternoon of the 8th at the Jongno-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The situation is similar in South Korea. As the BA.5 variant gains ground domestically, the government has officially declared a COVID-19 resurgence and is considering high-intensity measures. The detection rate of BA.5 rose sharply from 10.4% in the 4th week of June (June 19-25) to 28.2% in just one week, heightening the risk.

Accordingly, the government is seriously considering additional vaccinations as a key disease control measure. Since most vaccines developed so far are based on the original 'Wuhan virus,' their effectiveness in preventing infection against BA.5 is significantly reduced, but they still emphasize that vaccines lower the risk of severe illness and death.

However, South Korea also faces challenges as the 2nd dose vaccination rate is 87.0%, reflecting initially high vaccine acceptance, but the 3rd dose vaccination rate has increased by only 1% over the past three months, maintaining a low rate of 65%. The main reasons include growing distrust in the vaccine's infection prevention effectiveness due to the rapid spread of Omicron variants with high immune evasion and ongoing reports of adverse reactions after vaccination. The cumulative number of confirmed cases has reached 18.56 million.

Amid this, it is expected that the government's 'COVID-19 Summer Resurgence Preparedness and Response Plan,' to be announced on the 13th, will include measures to expand the 4th dose eligibility. Earlier, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo received the 4th dose himself on the 8th and stated, "We are reviewing plans to expand the eligibility so that more people can receive the vaccine," adding, "We will announce the expansion plan soon." Accordingly, the current 4th dose eligibility, which includes seniors aged 60 and above, immunocompromised individuals, and residents and workers in nursing facilities, is expected to be expanded to include those aged 50 and above.

Experts emphasize that the 4th dose should be administered to high-risk groups who are more likely to develop severe illness upon infection. Professor Baek Soon-young, Emeritus Professor at the Catholic University College of Medicine, said, "Since existing vaccines have almost no preventive effect against BA.4 and BA.5, the 4th dose is meaningless unless you are in a high-risk group," but added, "For the elderly or patients with weakened immune systems due to underlying conditions, who have a lower ability to produce antibodies, it is more beneficial to receive the current vaccine."

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