Hong Nam-ki: "36 Million Vaccinations by November... Herd Immunity Possible, 22-23% in First Half"

First Half Vaccination Rate 22~23%... Target 65~70% by November
6 Years and 4 Months to Achieve? Hong Nam-gi Calls It "Baseless Talk"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Hong Nam-ki, Acting Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Economy, responded on the afternoon of the 21st during the National Assembly's government questioning session to a question from Seo Dong-yong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, about herd immunity vaccination, saying, "If about 36 million people are vaccinated by November, herd immunity is expected to be achieved, and by November, that level of vaccination will be possible."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Prime Minister Hong said, "As of yesterday, 1.71 million people have completed vaccination, and it is expected that 3 million people will be vaccinated by the end of April," adding, "In the first half of the year, 12 million people will be able to be vaccinated."

Deputy Prime Minister Hong emphasized, "The daily vaccination capacity is 150,000 people," and added, "Currently, there are about 200 vaccination centers, but by the end of April, vaccinations will be conducted at 264 centers. Once vaccines are fully supplied, 14,000 private medical institutions can be mobilized, so theoretically, once vaccination begins, including private medical institutions, the capacity to vaccinate up to 1.5 million people per day is available." He also noted that during last year's flu vaccination, there was a case where up to 2.9 million people were vaccinated in a single day.

Deputy Prime Minister Hong said, "Although only 1.71 million people have been vaccinated so far, so the percentage is currently low, if vaccinations proceed in the first half of the year, the vaccination rate will reach 22% to 23%, and this will be seen as the starting point toward normal daily life."

When Assemblyman Seo asked, "Some say that at this pace, it would take 6 years and 4 months to complete vaccination," Deputy Prime Minister Hong dismissed it as "an unfounded claim."

Deputy Prime Minister Hong reiterated, "This is something that could easily cause serious misunderstandings among the public," and said, "By November, about 36 million people will be vaccinated, and with a vaccination rate of about 65-70%, herd immunity is expected to be formed. The government will make every effort to ensure that the timing of herd immunity formation is maintained in November."