By the End of August, 1 in 2 Citizens Vaccinated... Government: "Cumulative 27 Million Vaccinated, Vaccination Rate Over 50%"

On the 5th, as the nationwide first-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate approaches 40 percent, citizens who visited the vaccination center set up at Bukahyeon Culture and Sports Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, are waiting to monitor for adverse reactions after receiving their shots. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] As the first dose COVID-19 vaccination rate surpassed 40% on the 6th, the government announced that it will raise the vaccination rate to over 50% by the end of August. By the end of this month, one out of every two citizens will have received the first dose.

Lee Gi-il, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Director of Health and Medical Policy Office), stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "As of yesterday, the number of people who have received vaccinations reached 20.52 million, which is 40% of the total population based on the first dose. Those who have completed the second dose account for 14.7% of the population, or 7.52 million people."

Lee emphasized, "Vaccinations are gradually expanding in earnest, and by the end of August, more than 7 million people are expected to receive the first dose, and over 9 million people, mainly elderly individuals, will complete their vaccinations."

If vaccinations proceed according to the government’s plan by the end of this month, the cumulative number of first-dose recipients will reach approximately 27 million, achieving a vaccination rate of over 50% of the population. The number of fully vaccinated individuals is expected to reach about 17 million, corresponding to a vaccination rate of over 30% of the population.

Lee explained, "If vaccinations proceed smoothly, the transmission speed of COVID-19 will slow down, and the severity and mortality rates will further decrease. In fact, due to the effect of vaccinations, although the scale of the current 4th wave is larger than the 3rd wave in December, the number of deaths is gradually decreasing."

He added, "Considering these changed circumstances, the government will prepare a new quarantine system strategy and framework that takes into account the number of confirmed cases, vaccination rates, fatality rates, healthcare system capacity, and treatment of the Delta variant."