Young Generation "Worried About Side Effects" Avoids Vaccination
Pre-Reservation Rate for 18-49 Age Group Only 60%
Health Authorities "Please Actively Participate for Everyone's Safety"
Medical staff are administering COVID-19 vaccines at the Dongjak-gu Citizens' Sports Center, where the Dongjak-gu Vaccination Center is set up in Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Since the 9th, COVID-19 vaccination reservations have begun for citizens aged 18 to 49, but some young people in their 20s and 30s are hesitating to make reservations due to concerns about side effects.
Park, a worker in his 20s who recently completed his vaccine reservation, said, "I made a reservation for the vaccine, but I'm actually worried about whether I will go to get vaccinated," adding, "From what I've heard from people around me who got vaccinated, most experienced headaches, muscle pain, and nausea, and I also saw news articles about healthy people dying."
He continued, "I've heard that the pain is especially severe among young people. The truth is, I'm afraid of getting vaccinated because I'm worried I might experience serious side effects."
Currently, COVID-19 vaccination reservations for those aged 18 to 49 are being conducted through a '10-day system.' This means reservations can only be made on the date matching the last digit of one's birthdate. It started at 8 p.m. on the 9th and will continue for ten days until 6 p.m. on the 19th.
According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 14th, as of midnight that day, among 6,288,652 people aged 18 to 49 whose resident registration numbers end with 9, 0, 1, or 2, 3,808,291 had completed vaccine reservations, showing a reservation rate of 60.6%. This figure is significantly below the government's initially expected minimum target reservation rate of 70%.
Those who missed their designated reservation date will have another chance to make reservations from the 19th to the 21st. People aged 36 to 49 can make reservations from 8 p.m. on the 19th to 6 p.m. on the 20th, and those aged 18 to 35 can reserve from 8 p.m. on the 20th to 6 p.m. on the 21st. The government expects the reservation rate to increase during this additional reservation period.
The reluctance among young people to get vaccinated is believed to be influenced by recent incidents where people in their 20s died after vaccination. On the 10th, a 20-year-old postal worker, Mr. A, was found dead at home after receiving the vaccine. Mr. A had completed his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on the 7th, three days before his death, and reportedly complained of muscle pain and flu-like symptoms to his family afterward.
A woman in her 20s living in Jeju, Ms. B, showed symptoms of thrombosis after receiving the Moderna vaccine on the 26th of last month. She underwent surgery but ultimately passed away while receiving treatment. The health authorities are investigating the causal relationship between these incidents and the vaccines.
As a result, concerns about vaccination are growing mainly among people in their 20s and 30s. Choi, a worker in his 30s living in Incheon, said, "I usually have a weak constitution, so I'm worried whether I can endure the aftereffects of the vaccine," adding, "Since the cause of side effects is still unknown, I feel uneasy about getting vaccinated blindly. I plan to maintain social distancing and endure until the vaccine's safety is verified."
However, as the fourth wave of COVID-19 is spreading mainly among the active young population, the government sees active participation in vaccination by young and middle-aged adults as necessary to prevent the spread of infection.
Son Youngrae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, expressed concern during a briefing on the 12th, saying, "The reservation rate for the 18-49 age group under the 10-day reservation system is around 60%, falling short of the 70% target," and added, "This is lower than the 80% reservation rate observed among the elderly."
He continued, "For your own health and the safety of all of us, we ask those eligible to actively participate," emphasizing, "Vaccines have an extremely low possibility of breakthrough infections even against the Delta variant, and they clearly reduce fatality and severe illness rates."
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