Vaccinations Surpass 14 Million, Vaccination Rate at 27.3%... Approaching 'Herd Immunity'

On the 16th, police forces are engaged in vaccine administration at the COVID-19 vaccination center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of people who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine surpassed 14 million on the 17th.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19 on the afternoon of the 17th, "As of 12:00 today (17th), the number of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine exceeded 14,003,490," adding, "Since the start of vaccinations on February 26, on the 112th day, we have exceeded the target of 13 million vaccinations set for the first half of the year." Accordingly, the overall vaccination rate is 27.3%.

The Promotion Team explained that those prioritized for vaccination in the first half of the year according to the 'COVID-19 Vaccination Plan' announced earlier this year, including healthcare workers and the elderly aged 65 and over, are either currently being vaccinated or have completed vaccination. Additionally, chronic patients, people aged 60-64, essential social workers such as military, police, and firefighters, and some education workers, who were originally planned for vaccination in the third quarter, are also being vaccinated ahead of schedule.

Accordingly, as of midnight today, the vaccination rates by age group are ▲77.6% for those aged 80 and above, ▲83.9% for those in their 70s, ▲and 72.0% for those in their 60s.

This achievement is largely due to the accelerating pace of COVID-19 vaccinations. It took a full 39 days for 1 million people to be vaccinated after the domestic vaccination began on February 26. It then took about 50 more days for an additional 3 million people to receive the vaccine. However, the record of 13 million vaccinations was reached just 7 days after surpassing 10 million on the 10th.

Director Jung said, "I sincerely thank the citizens who participated in the vaccination," and added, "I also sincerely appreciate the efforts and dedication of healthcare workers on the front lines, related public officials, volunteers, and many others working hard to ensure safe vaccinations."

The Promotion Team plans to continue vaccination efforts without disruption according to the 'Third Quarter Vaccination Implementation Plan' announced today, aiming to restore daily life through herd immunity. The team aims to complete the first dose for 36 million people, which is 70% of the entire population, by September. Following that, they plan to complete the second dose for these individuals by November to achieve herd immunity.