South Korea plans to reduce the period to four to six months until the booster vaccine is given to older citizens as it tries to stem the rise in serious cases, authorities said today.
After managing to keep infections relatively low with an aggressive testing and tracking strategy, authorities are now facing a jump in critical times since social’s distancing rules were eased this month under the “living with COVID-19” policy. .
More than 90% of adults in South Korea have been vaccinated if outbreak infections increase among the elderly, putting pressure on the health care system.
The Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) has decided to reduce to four months the interval between doses for booster vaccines for people aged 60 and over and for those living in nursing homes and other units for vulnerable citizens.
Citizens over the age of 50 and those belonging to priority groups, such as soldiers, police and firefighters, can now receive another dose five months after their last vaccination.
“Despite our high vaccination rate, we have seen clear increases in escape infections among the older generations four months after receiving the vaccine,” said KDCA head Jeong Eun-kyeong.
“There is also a growing need for additional doses of vaccine due to the declining immunity of Delta strains over time.”
The KDCA announced 3,187 new cases yesterday, the highest daily score of 3,270 on Sept. 25, including 522 very serious infections, a record number.
More than 82% of all serious cases recorded this week involve older people, compared with 65% a month earlier, according to the KDCA.
Hospital beds are filling rapidly in Seoul’s metropolitan area, with only 30% of intensive care units still available.
Nearly 13.8 million people will be able to receive the boost by the end of the year, the KDCA said.
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