COVID-19 Clean Area 'Mokpo-si' Conducts Additional Vaccinations for Elderly Population

Over 170,000 First Doses and More Than 150,000 Second Doses Completed in the Region

Currently, more than 150,000 people in Mokpo City have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations. Photo by Mokpo City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seung-hyun Jeong] Mokpo City, Jeonnam, a COVID-19 clean area, will begin administering additional COVID-19 vaccinations to elderly individuals aged 60 and over who have passed six months since completing their vaccination, starting on the 25th, in accordance with the guidelines from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

According to the city on the 22nd, advance reservations can be made through the COVID-19 vaccination reservation system, public health center call centers, the KDCA call center at 1339, and the district administrative welfare centers. Vaccinations will be administered with the Pfizer vaccine at 44 designated medical institutions.

Reservations can be made starting 14 days before the date when six months have passed since the completion of vaccination, and the KDCA will send reservation-related notification messages to eligible individuals.

Immunocompromised individuals, such as patients with acute leukemia or those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, can make reservations and receive additional vaccinations starting from the 1st of next month, provided that two months have passed since completing the basic vaccination.

The additional vaccination aims to enhance the vaccine's preventive effect and protect high-risk groups as the effectiveness of the vaccine decreases over time. According to the KDCA, clinical research on the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine's additional dose showed that the group receiving the additional dose had an 11.3 times higher infection prevention effect and a 19.5 times higher severe disease prevention effect compared to the group that did not receive the additional dose.

Meanwhile, adolescents aged 16 to 17 have been receiving the Pfizer vaccine at 44 designated medical institutions since the 18th, and vaccinations for those aged 12 to 15 are planned to begin on November 1.

A city official stated, "If your health condition is not good on the day of vaccination, please contact the vaccination institution where you made the reservation to reschedule, and we ask that you receive the vaccination in a stable condition on a day when you are feeling well."