[Inside Chodong] Neglected Vaccinations and Confusion Fueled by Health Authorities

Despite Additional Vaccinations Since Last Month, Uptake Remains in Single Digits
Confusion and Distrust Grow Due to Inconsistent Communication from Health Authorities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"Only the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency is pacing anxiously, while other ministries show little interest. Especially, the Prime Minister's Office and the Presidential Office seem to have no intention at all to support the policy."

This is a common criticism from experts who have recently been treating severe COVID-19 patients on the front lines and researching infectious diseases. They emphasize the need for trusted figures to lead by example in getting vaccinated first and raising awareness about the necessity of additional vaccinations. It is quite disappointing and seems belated that only now some ministers and vice ministers are rolling up their sleeves and appearing in front of cameras.

In preparation for the winter resurgence, the government began additional winter season vaccinations last month. Starting with immunocompromised individuals, residents, patients, and workers in infection-vulnerable facilities, and seniors aged 60 and above, the vaccination target was expanded to all adults aged 18 and over. However, even after a month since the vaccination started, the vaccination rate remained in the single digits. From the 21st of this month, the government declared a 'focused vaccination period' and is making every effort to increase vaccination rates among the elderly and residents of infection-vulnerable facilities. The goal is to raise the vaccination rate to 50% for those aged 60 and above and 60% for infection-vulnerable facilities within four weeks.

Currently, the vaccination rate for additional winter season doses among those aged 60 and above is 17.1%, and for infection-vulnerable facilities, it is 17.4%. The low vaccination rate is due to accumulated fatigue from repeated vaccinations and many people having already experienced infection, leading them to feel no need for vaccination. Concerns about side effects and skepticism about vaccine effectiveness persist. The authorities, prioritizing boosting immunity in high-risk groups, offered benefits such as free admission to royal palaces and royal tombs as support for vaccine recipients, but these were met with ridicule for being trivial and insufficient.

Above all, inconsistent explanations from health authorities about the COVID-19 epidemic situation have caused confusion. When the sixth resurgence began this summer, authorities tried to soothe public anxiety by saying, "Since Omicron, the fatality rate of COVID-19 is approaching a level similar to seasonal flu." When the seventh resurgence started earlier than expected, making additional winter vaccinations necessary, many people ignored the call, questioning, "Do we really have to get vaccinated?" Because the government had already conveyed the message that "COVID-19 is at the level of seasonal flu," people did not feel the need to get vaccinated again.

As the situation became urgent, Jeong Ki-seok, head of the COVID-19 Special Response Team and member of the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee, changed his stance, stating, "COVID-19 is a much more dangerous infectious disease than the flu." He introduced research results showing that "getting the updated vaccine reduces complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke caused by COVID-19 infection," emphasizing that "the updated vaccine is worth getting despite some risks."

If the goal is to increase the additional winter vaccination rate even now, health authorities must once again provide detailed explanations to the public about the efficacy and safety of vaccines to dispel distrust. Nearly three years have passed since COVID-19 emerged, yet the epidemic has not subsided globally, including in South Korea. In this situation, it is necessary to convince the public that additional vaccinations are inevitable because it is difficult to expect long-term effects from the vaccines developed so far.

Policies responsible for national quarantine and public health become difficult to manage if they are one-sided or lose public trust. More than 30,000 people have already died from COVID-19 in South Korea alone, and today, 461 patients are lying in intensive care beds.

/ Jo In-kyung, Deputy Head of Biohealth Department ikjo@

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