Songpa-gu, Free COVID-19 Vaccinations

Free Vaccination with New XBB-Variant Vaccine for All Residents Starts November 1... Proven Efficacy and Safety, Can Be Administered Simultaneously with Influenza, Completed in One Dose for Convenience

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that from November 1st to March 31st of next year, free COVID-19 vaccinations tailored to the new prevalent variant are being provided to all residents aged 6 months and older.

This vaccine is a new vaccine (XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine) developed to respond to the currently circulating variant (XBB lineage). The new vaccine has been proven effective and safe by generating more than 10 times the antibodies and having a more than 15% lower incidence of adverse reactions compared to previous vaccines.

Additionally, the vaccination process has become very simple. For those aged 5 and older, vaccination is completed with a single dose regardless of vaccination history, and it is possible to receive the influenza vaccine on the same day. Currently, the district is thoroughly preventing infectious diseases by providing free influenza vaccinations to seniors aged 65 and older, children aged 6 months to 13 years, pregnant women, and medically vulnerable groups.

COVID-19 was reclassified as a Class 4 infectious disease like influenza in August, but approximately 9,000 positive cases are still occurring nationwide every week. In response, the district began vaccinations for high-risk groups on October 19th to prepare for the winter season when respiratory diseases are prevalent, and from November 1st, the target group was expanded to all residents.

Starting with this vaccine, not only high-risk infants and children but also general infants and children can be vaccinated if they wish. However, infants aged 6 months to 4 years may require up to three doses depending on their vaccination history, and since Pfizer vaccines do not allow cross-vaccination, if there is a history of Pfizer vaccination, the infant Pfizer vaccine will be available for vaccination starting in December.

Those wishing to be vaccinated can make an online reservation themselves or through a proxy and visit a nearby medical institution, or receive vaccination on the same day without a reservation. However, since vaccination is possible only after 3 months (90 days) from the last vaccination date, prior confirmation is necessary.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “During the winter when immunity decreases, reinfection rates increase even if there is a history of infection, so proactive vaccination is necessary.” He added, “We especially ask for active participation in vaccination to protect those with underlying conditions around us who are vulnerable to infectious diseases.”

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