Over 300,000 COVID-19 Vaccinations in 9 Days... 17,131 More Yesterday (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in South Korea has surpassed 300,000. It has been just nine days since vaccinations began on the 26th of last month.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Promotion Team) announced that as of midnight on the 7th, the total number of COVID-19 vaccine recipients in the country reached 314,656. This is an increase of 17,131 people from the previous day. Among the 763,891 priority vaccination targets, 41.2% have completed their first dose. The vaccination rate based on the domestic population (52 million) stands at approximately 0.61%.

By vaccination institution, nursing hospitals have vaccinated 166,240 people, accounting for 81.3% of the total target group (204,592). This means that four out of five targeted individuals have received their first dose. Nursing facilities vaccinated 54,069 people (49.9%), first responders 2,846 people (3.7%), and hospitals or higher-level medical institutions vaccinated 86,232 people (27.2%). For COVID-19 patient treatment hospitals, 5,269 people, or 9.3% of the total target, have completed their first dose. Among all vaccinated individuals, 309,387 received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, and 5,269 received the Pfizer vaccine. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is being administered to medical staff at COVID-19 treatment hospitals and others.

Looking at the number of new vaccine recipients by city and province, Gyeonggi had the highest number with 2,843 people. This was followed by Seoul with 2,158, Gyeongnam with 2,037, Jeonbuk with 1,797, Gwangju with 1,606, Busan with 1,288, Daegu with 875, Gyeongbuk with 821, Incheon with 617, Ulsan with 608, Jeonnam with 528, Chungnam with 486, Jeju with 453, Daejeon with 375, Chungbuk with 330, Gangwon with 279, and Sejong with 30. Regarding cumulative vaccination rates by city and province, Gyeongnam exceeded half at 55.9%, followed by Chungnam (49.5%), Gwangju (48.1%), and Chungbuk (47.8%). Conversely, Seoul (27.5%), Sejong (26.2%), Gangwon (27.8%), and Jeju (29.8%) remained in the 20% range.

The government is currently conducting vaccinations with initial supplies of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. Both vaccines require two doses, and currently, the first dose is being administered. The AstraZeneca vaccine's second dose is scheduled to be given after an 8-week interval, while the Pfizer vaccine's second dose will be administered after 3 weeks.

The Promotion Team compiles and announces vaccination and adverse reaction status daily at midnight. However, if vaccination institutions delay registering recipient information or vaccination history in the system, there may be slight discrepancies in the daily number of vaccinated individuals and vaccination rates. The Promotion Team explained that 1,145 people who completed their first dose between the 26th of last month and the 5th of this month were additionally registered the previous day.