Even with Expanded Eligibility, "People Don't Get Vaccinated"... Updated Vaccine Uptake Rate at 1%

Winter Vaccination Pre-Booking Expanded to Ages 18 and Over
Recommended Groups Also Say "This Time, Everyone Seems to Skip It"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Although the target group for winter COVID-19 vaccinations using bivalent vaccines to respond to variants has been expanded, the existing vaccination rate remains sluggish, and the sentiment of "not wanting to get vaccinated" appears to be firmly entrenched.

In preparation for the upcoming COVID-19 resurgence in winter, the quarantine authorities expanded the winter vaccination target group from immunocompromised individuals and elderly people aged 60 and above to adults aged 18 and older who have completed the primary vaccination series, starting from the 27th.

However, among adults aged 18 and older who are newly eligible for winter vaccination pre-booking and same-day vaccination, it was difficult to find responses indicating a willingness to get vaccinated. Mr. Lee (29), an office worker who has never been infected with COVID-19, said, "All my acquaintances have been vaccinated, but they still caught COVID, so it seems ineffective," adding, "Since there have been cases of death after vaccination, I do not want to take the risk." Adults aged 18 to 49 are allowed to receive the winter vaccine but are not the recommended target group.

Even among those recommended for vaccination, there was a reluctance to get vaccinated. People in their 50s, those with underlying conditions, and healthcare workers are the second priority group for bivalent vaccine vaccination and are recommended to get vaccinated. Mr. Kim (55) said, "I got vaccinated up to the third dose, but now COVID seems somewhat manageable, and I don't really trust the vaccine, so I don't plan to get vaccinated this time," explaining, "The atmosphere is that most people are not getting vaccinated."

Mr. Hong Jun-gi (28), who has an underlying condition, said, "I was going to get vaccinated if it was a barrier to traveling abroad, but if not, I don't intend to get vaccinated." Currently, with the global easing of travel restrictions, there are countries that can be visited without COVID-19 vaccination. Countries such as Japan, Vietnam, France, and Spain do not require vaccination upon entry.

Nurse Ms. Kang (27), a healthcare worker, confessed, "I have already been infected with COVID-19, so I don't particularly want to get vaccinated." The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) advises that adults who have been infected with COVID-19 are also recommended to receive an additional winter vaccination if 120 days have passed since their last vaccination or infection date.

Winter vaccination for the first priority group began on the 11th, but the vaccination rate remains in the 1% range. As of midnight on the 28th, the bivalent vaccine vaccination rate for winter is 1.9% of the total population. On the previous day, a total of 99,512 people had applied for pre-booking of the bivalent vaccine, which was expanded to include more people, by 5 p.m.

Director Baek Kyung-ran of the KDCA acknowledged, "We are aware that the bivalent vaccine vaccination rate is not very high," and encouraged vaccination by saying, "I have repeatedly emphasized that the purpose is to prevent severe illness. Young adults may hesitate because their risk is relatively low, but getting vaccinated during the current epidemic season can also provide some degree of infection prevention effect."

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