Domestic COVID-19 First Dose Vaccination Rate Surpasses 70%... Cumulative Total of 36,000,4101 People (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The first-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate in South Korea surpassed 70% on the 17th.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced that as of 5 p.m. on the 17th, just before the Chuseok holiday, the provisional tally showed that over 36 million people had received at least one dose. This marks 203 days since the start of COVID-19 vaccinations on February 26.

According to the Promotion Team, the number of first-dose recipients exceeded 10 million on June 10, 20 million in August, and 30 million in September.

As of 5 p.m. on the day, the cumulative number of first-dose vaccinations reached 36,004,101, accounting for 70.1% of the total population and 81.5% of the population aged 18 and over. Among them, 21,886,103 people have completed their vaccinations, resulting in a completion rate of 42.6%.

South Korea's rate of receiving at least one vaccine dose has steadily increased, reaching levels similar to or higher than major foreign countries that started vaccinations earlier. Recently, South Korea's first-dose vaccination rate has been maintained higher than that of the United States, Japan, and Germany.

The Promotion Team emphasized, "While countries that started COVID-19 vaccinations early experienced a slowdown in vaccination speed after reaching a 50% first-dose rate, South Korea has continued steady vaccinations beyond the 50% mark, reaching a 70% vaccination rate in a relatively short period."

According to the Promotion Team, the time taken for major countries to increase their first-dose vaccination rate from 50% to 70% is 28 days for South Korea, compared to 54 days for France, 75 days for Italy, and 118 days for the United Kingdom.

Director Jeong Eun-kyung said, "The smooth progress of COVID-19 vaccinations and achieving 36 million first-dose recipients was possible thanks to the high interest and participation of the public," adding, "We sincerely thank all citizens who joined in." She also expressed gratitude to all related personnel, including support workers who worked tirelessly day and night for vaccine production and delivery, and medical staff dedicated to vaccinations even on weekends.

The Promotion Team expects that with the sequential administration of second doses to the 50s age group and the start of second doses for the 18-49 age group from October, the goal of completing vaccinations for 70% of the entire population by the end of October will be achieved without setbacks.

The Promotion Team urged, "Those who have not been vaccinated due to health reasons can receive vaccinations starting October 1, with pre-reservations available from September 18 to September 30," and added, "Please participate in vaccinations for your own health and the safety of your family."