Tomorrow Marks 100 Days of Vaccination, Supply Eases... Vaccination Rate at 25% Despite Meeting First Half Goals

AZ, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen 15.96 Million Doses Introduced
10% Vaccination Rate Achieved in 92 Days
7.08 Million Fully Vaccinated, 8.53 Million Reservations

Government "Goal of 13 Million+ in First Half"
"Up to 1 Million Vaccinations Possible Per Day"

Over 20 Million First Doses Needed in Second Half to Achieve Herd Immunity

On the morning of the 26th, Lee Kyung-soon (61), a care worker and the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea, was administered the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine at the Nowon District Public Health Center in Seoul. The COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea marks its 100th day since the start on the 5th. (Photo by Nowon District Office)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Domestic COVID-19 vaccination, which began on February 26, marks its 100th day on the 5th. With vaccine supply easing and the pace of vaccinations accelerating, the government is confident in achieving its first-half goal of ‘13 million+α first-dose vaccinations completed.’

◇ Introduction of 15.96 million vaccine doses = Two days before the first COVID-19 vaccination on February 24, 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine were first shipped from SK Bioscience’s factory in Andong, Gyeongbuk Province. At that time, there were many evaluations that the vaccine introduction was delayed, and even afterward, the large-scale conversion of second doses to first doses temporarily sparked controversy over a ‘vaccine bottleneck,’ but since last month, the supply has stabilized.

In early this month, 55,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine were introduced on the 1st, followed by 1,012,800 doses of the Janssen vaccine arriving early on the 5th. Adding the previously supplied 10.08 million doses of AZ and 4.814 million doses of Pfizer, a total of approximately 15.96 million doses will have been introduced by the 5th. Additionally, 3.43 million doses of AZ, Pfizer, and others will be introduced this month, totaling 19.39 million doses. The government is also pushing to introduce an additional 2.655 million doses of Moderna, Janssen, and Novavax vaccines within this month.

◇ Up to 710,000 vaccinations per day = On the first day of vaccination, AZ vaccine administration began targeting inpatients, residents, and workers under 65 years old in nursing hospitals and facilities. The number of vaccinations on the first day was only 20,305. The sluggish vaccination gradually picked up as supply loosened, surpassing 1 million vaccinations on April 5, the 39th day of vaccination. The government’s goal of 3 million vaccinations in April was also achieved on April 29.

On the 28th of last month, 92 days after the start of vaccination, the cumulative number of vaccinated people reached 5,233,963, exceeding a 10% vaccination rate relative to the population. The daily number of vaccinations also greatly increased, with as many as 710,000 people vaccinated on the 27th of last month. The government stated, "It is possible to vaccinate up to 1 million people per day."

However, compared to advanced vaccination countries, the current achievements are still not considered high. Even if the ‘13 million+α’ vaccination target is achieved, 13 million people still represent only about 25.3% of the domestic population.

According to AFP’s own tally as of the 3rd, about 60% of Israel’s population has completed the second dose. Canada, the UK, Chile, and the US have also exceeded a 50% first-dose vaccination rate.

◇ Total vaccination reservations exceed 15 million = As of the previous day, a total of 7,086,292 people have completed the first dose. With about 6 million people remaining to reach the first-half vaccination target of 13 million, a high vaccination reservation rate suggests that exceeding the goal is possible.

The final reservation rate for the elderly aged 60 to 74, whose reservation period ended the previous day, was recorded at 80.7%. Among the target group, 7,642,122 people expressed their intention to be vaccinated. Particularly, the final reservation rate for those aged 70 to 74, which initially caused concern with only an 11.5% reservation rate on the first day, showed the most enthusiastic participation at 82.7%. Adding the 890,000 Janssen vaccine reservation holders, whose reservations closed within 16 hours of opening, the total number of vaccination reservations currently reaches 8.53 million.

Combining those who have completed the first dose and those who have made reservations, the total reaches 15.62 million, far exceeding the government’s first-half vaccination target. However, to achieve herd immunity with a 70% vaccination rate, more than 20 million people need to receive the first dose in the second half of the year.