COVID-19 Vaccine First Dose, Expected to Surpass 70% Just Before Chuseok

Vaccination Rate for First Dose at 68.1% as of Midnight on the 16th
First Dose Expansion Strategy Makes Pre-Chuseok Goal Visible
"Vaccination Effectiveness Requires Completion of Second Dose After Chuseok"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The government's goal of completing the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination for 70% of the entire population before Chuseok is expected to be achieved soon. As the government focuses on increasing the first-dose vaccination rate by deploying recently secured vaccines, the cumulative number of vaccinated people is expected to exceed 36 million just before the Chuseok holiday.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 16th, 374,256 people received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose in a single day. The cumulative number of vaccinated individuals reached 34,977,073, accounting for 68.1% of the population. Based on adults aged 18 and over, who are currently recommended to receive the vaccine, nearly 80% have completed their first dose. Considering that the daily number of first-dose vaccinations recently ranges from the mid-300,000s to over 800,000, the first-dose vaccination rate is expected to exceed 70% of the entire population around the 17th. Among them, 21,168,093 people have completed vaccination, resulting in a full vaccination rate of 41.2% of the total population.

In most regions nationwide, about 8 out of 10 eligible individuals have already participated in the first dose vaccination. As of the 15th, the first-dose vaccination rate by region was highest in Jeonnam at 81.5%. The full vaccination rate there also exceeded 50%. Other regions followed with Jeonbuk at 79.7%, Gangwon at 78.7%, Sejong at 77.6%, and Gwangju at 77.4%.

Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters’ quarantine team, said, "If vaccinations continue at the current pace, achieving a 70% first-dose vaccination rate before the Chuseok holiday is possible. However, since this figure refers to the first dose, the effect of vaccination will appear only after the increased movement during Chuseok subsides and the second dose is completed."

The focus of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign is shifting to the second dose. For those in their 50s, the second dose is currently underway, and from after Chuseok, the second dose for those aged 18 to 49 will also be in full swing. Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Division at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained, "The expansion of the first dose aims to establish basic immunity, while the second dose provides a more sufficient and certain immune effect. The number of second doses is also rapidly increasing, and soon South Korea will reach a level similar to other major countries such as the United States and Europe."

The quarantine authorities have decided to bring forward the target date for more than 70% of the population to complete COVID-19 vaccination from the end of October. Given that the first-dose vaccination rate has reached a certain level, they believe the second-dose vaccination can also be accelerated. With the interval between doses for the main vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, extended to six weeks, and the possibility of using leftover vaccines for second doses after the Chuseok holiday, achieving 70% by mid-October also seems feasible.

Additionally, plans are underway to expand vaccination targets to include adolescents and pregnant women. After October, additional vaccinations (booster shots) for high-risk groups such as the elderly are also highly likely. Through this, the authorities plan to achieve an increased vaccination rate of 80% for the entire population and 90% for adults aged 18 and over, exceeding the original plan.