[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The government has decided to publicly disclose the daily reservation rates for COVID-19 vaccinations targeting children and adolescents.
On the 5th, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced, "After consulting with the Ministry of Education and other related ministries, the daily reservation status for vaccinations among those aged 12 to 17 will be attached to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's data and disclosed every afternoon," adding, "The related statistics will be released starting tomorrow."
Among the vaccination target group for the fourth quarter, those aged 16 to 17 (born in 2004?2005) will begin making COVID-19 vaccine reservations from 8 p.m. on this day.
Authorities have been compiling and publicly releasing the reservation rates for vaccination target groups daily; however, regarding those aged 12 to 17, they had discussed with the Ministry of Education whether to disclose the rates, considering that announcing the reservation rates might act as a form of "vaccination pressure." Vaccination is carried out voluntarily based on the judgment of parents and the individuals themselves, but excessive attention to the scale of child and adolescent vaccinations could cause pressure. In this context, Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye also urged on the same day, "Please create an atmosphere where students are not forced to get vaccinated and face no disadvantages."
The government has extensively considered the impact on child and adolescent vaccinations but decided to disclose the vaccination rates as they are. This decision appears to reflect the judgment that withholding related information during the vaccination decision-making process could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. If only the vaccination rates for children and adolescents remain undisclosed information, it could interfere with the decisions of students and parents.
Even with the disclosure of vaccination rates, the government’s position is to leave the choice voluntary. The government has judged that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the risks for children and adolescents, just as for adults, but has recommended voluntary choice for healthy children and adolescents without underlying conditions, as the benefits are not overwhelmingly higher compared to the risks.
Meanwhile, authorities stated that those aged 12 to 17 who have completed vaccination are exempt from self-quarantine upon contact with confirmed cases, just like other age groups. This means that even if a confirmed case occurs at school, students who have completed vaccination can continue attending classes without absence. Park Young-jun, head of the epidemiological investigation team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "There is no reason to distinguish those aged 12 to 17 from other age groups."
Last month, authorities revised the "Domestic Vaccination Completion Management Guidelines" and decided that those who have completed all doses specified for each vaccine and passed two weeks after the final dose?classified as "vaccination completers"?will be exempt from self-quarantine if they have close contact with confirmed cases and show no symptoms.
If classified as a close contact, individuals must undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test once immediately and once more 6 to 7 days after the last contact date, and monitor their health condition for 14 days while continuing daily activities.
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