Authorities: "The Best Vaccine Incentives Are Free Vaccination and Active Compensation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Health authorities stated that they are not considering disadvantages for those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, explaining that free vaccination and active compensation for adverse reactions serve as incentives for those who get vaccinated.

Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters and Director of the National Institute of Health, said at the regular briefing of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency held on the afternoon of the 23rd, "The greatest incentive related to the COVID-19 vaccine is providing free vaccination to all citizens who want it, making every effort for safe vaccination across the government, and actively compensating for adverse reactions."

Deputy Director Kwon added, "Considering the average age and other factors, 92% of the population have either already been vaccinated or expressed willingness to get vaccinated," explaining, "The acceptance of vaccines is higher than in any other country in the world." Given the high willingness to get vaccinated, they are not considering any measures that impose separate disadvantages on unvaccinated individuals.

He said, "Of course, the most important reason some people refuse vaccines is concerns about side effects," adding, "We will do our best to communicate actively about safety and to facilitate smoother vaccination in a situation where vaccine hesitancy is already low."

According to current health authorities, as of midnight on the day, the first-dose vaccination rate for the 18-49 age group, scheduled to complete first-dose vaccination by the 2nd of next month, has risen to 73.8%, with 16,532,996 vaccinated out of 22,415,616 eligible individuals. Hong Jeong-ik, Vaccination Management Team Leader of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, said, "Including remaining reservations, we expect 84.4% participation."

Team Leader Hong further explained, "It is estimated that about 5.77 million people have not yet participated in vaccination," adding, "The additional reservation for these individuals aims to increase the vaccination rate among eligible age groups, thereby expanding the immune population and protecting against COVID-19, and to provide another vaccination opportunity to those who could not get vaccinated at the given time due to health issues or unavoidable reasons."