Prime Minister Han: "COVID-19 4th Dose Expanded to 50s and 18+ with Underlying Conditions" (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kim Hyewon] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated on the 13th, "We will expand the COVID-19 fourth vaccination, currently administered to those aged 60 and over and immunocompromised individuals, to include people in their 50s and those aged 18 and over with underlying health conditions."

On the same day, Prime Minister Han chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office and said, "COVID-19 cases are increasing again worldwide."

He added, "In South Korea as well, the BA.5 variant, which has high transmissibility and immune evasion characteristics, is spreading, causing the resurgence to begin faster than initially expected. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and experts, it is projected that up to 200,000 cases per day could occur between mid-August and the end of September."

He stated, "Vaccinations will be expanded not only to nursing hospitals and facilities but also to facilities for the disabled and homeless shelters. The fourth vaccination can prevent progression to severe COVID-19. We strongly recommend vaccination."

Prime Minister Han also explained, "We will secure sufficient hospital beds for treating severe hospitalized patients. Currently, the intensive care unit bed occupancy rate is around 10%, so there is enough capacity, but we will prepare to ensure that even if up to 200,000 cases occur, there will be no problems with inpatient treatment."

He continued, "We will expedite securing 10,000 one-stop medical institutions where confirmed patients receiving home treatment without hospitalization can receive testing, treatment, and prescriptions all at once at nearby local clinics and hospitals, increasing from the current 6,338 by the end of July."

The government will maintain the mandatory 7-day isolation period for confirmed COVID-19 cases but has decided not to enforce mandatory social distancing measures at this stage. However, if there is a significant change in the epidemic situation, selective and phased introduction of social distancing will be considered.

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