Jeong Eun-gyeong, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, "Vaccines for seniors aged 60 and over, guardians protecting health and life"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] As of midnight on the 14th, 3.72 million people in South Korea have completed their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 820,000 have completed their second dose.

Gangnam-gu has administered the first dose to 39,400 people and the second dose to 2,339 people since February 26.

Recently, the target age group for the AstraZeneca vaccine in the second quarter was expanded to include seniors aged 60 and above. There are 80,706 residents aged 60 and over in Gangnam-gu who are scheduled to receive the vaccine by June.

On the 13th, advance reservations began for residents aged 60 and above, as well as teachers at daycare centers, kindergartens, and first and second grades of elementary school. Reservations can be made through the Gangnam-gu call center or at 174 designated medical institutions in the area. When making a reservation, you can select the date and time.

The vaccination start dates are May 27 for those aged 65 to 74, and June 7 for those aged 60 and above.

Gangnam-gu Office has produced and distributed 250,000 leaflets to provide vaccination guidance.

Meanwhile, today marks the start of the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The target group includes staff of nursing hospitals and facilities under 65 years old who received the first dose. As with the first dose, health center medical staff will conduct home visits for elderly individuals with mobility difficulties, and they plan to regularly monitor those living alone to prepare for any adverse reactions.

The government plans to sequentially expand the target population to complete the first dose for 13 million people by next month as scheduled. It emphasized the importance of vaccinating seniors aged 60 and above. According to the task force, the reservation rate for seniors aged 70 and above, which started on the 6th, reached 54.9% as of midnight on the 14th, and the reservation rate for those aged 65 to 69, which began on the 10th, is progressing smoothly at 43.9%.

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, “The vaccine is a protector of health and life for seniors aged 60 and above,” adding, “Vaccination is effective in reducing infection and mortality rates.” Analysis of those aged 60 and above who received the first dose showed an infection prevention effect of 89.5% two weeks after vaccination (as of May 10).

Additionally, there were no deaths among those infected after vaccination.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, vaccination of the elderly is crucial. The fatality rate among seniors is about 5 per 100 people, and the UK health authorities have announced that vaccination can prevent 80% of deaths. Regarding vaccine side effects, the incidence of ‘rare thrombosis’ ranges from 3 to 10 cases per million people, which is negligible compared to the fatality rate of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the UK, which recorded over 70,000 daily COVID-19 cases in January, has completed the first dose for more than two-thirds of its population. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends vaccination, stating that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the risks. Residents are urged to trust the government and participate in vaccination in the designated order for the health of themselves, their families, and loved ones.

Now, let me explain the current COVID-19 status and major policies in Gangnam-gu.

As of the 14th, Gangnam-gu has reported confirmed cases up to number 2235. Case 2221 was imported, while cases 2223, 2224, 2229, and 2232 to 2234 were family members of confirmed Gangnam-gu residents. Case 2230 was confirmed through contact with a confirmed Gangnam-gu resident. Cases 2222, 2225 to 2228, 2231, and 2235 were confirmed after showing symptoms such as fever, but their infection routes are unknown and epidemiological investigations are ongoing.

As of the 14th, Gangnam-gu is managing 2,012 self-quarantined individuals, including 842 who entered from overseas and 1,170 domestic contacts.

The cumulative number of tests conducted at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center’s screening clinics and temporary screening sites is 420,389. On the previous day, among 3,674 tested individuals, 57 were overseas entrants and 3,617 were domestic residents.

As of midnight on the 14th, South Korea reported 747 new COVID-19 cases, marking the second consecutive day with over 700 cases. By region, Seoul reported 229 cases and Gyeonggi Province 172, maintaining the concentration in the metropolitan area.

Health authorities emphasize that although the reproduction number over the past week is low at 0.94, the spread of variants and the increase in cases with unknown infection routes mean the situation cannot be considered safe.

Regarding recent discoveries of entertainment bars and live cafes operating secretly without following quarantine rules, residents may be concerned. Gangnam-gu has imposed fines on 21 businesses that violated regulations through special inspections.

Gangnam-gu Office will continue to conduct thorough inspections to ensure compliance with administrative orders in line with government policies.

Additionally, to prevent cluster infections among workers in multi-use facilities such as sanitation workers, Gangnam-gu will conduct focused inspections on compliance with quarantine rules in rest areas for cleaning staff in large buildings and at SRT Suseo Station until next Tuesday. As experienced during the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, individual carelessness and complacency can dismantle the quarantine network we have maintained through patience and effort.

Officials are urged to practice social distancing and wear masks diligently in daily life.

Since the early stages of the crisis, Gangnam-gu has conducted proactive testing based on the principle of ‘early detection, early containment,’ resulting in over 420,000 cumulative tests.

According to Seoul city data on confirmed cases per 100,000 population, Gangnam-gu recorded 396 cases (as of May 12), ranking nineteenth lowest among the 25 districts.

Despite the high population density and daily economic activity population of 1.07 million, which makes the area prone to cluster infections like New York City, Gangnam-gu has been relatively well managed thanks to its meticulous quarantine system including random testing and the active cooperation of residents.

Going forward, Gangnam-gu promises to continue its best efforts to minimize cluster infections by preventing ‘silent transmission’ in the community through proactive testing and to ensure residents’ health and safety until vaccination is completed.