Student Daily Cases Near 400... Parents Say "We Will Only Get the Flu Vaccine"

Average 398.6 Cases per Day Since Full Return to School... Highest Ever
98.7% of Unvaccinated 12-17 Year Olds Confirmed in Last 2 Weeks
Still Resistance Despite Education Ministry's Recommendation
Youth Included in Vaccine Pass... Announcement Expected This Week
Experts Say "Earlier Vaccination Increases Benefits"

On the morning of the 22nd, when full in-person attendance begins for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools in the Seoul metropolitan area, a first-period class is being held at an elementary school in Dobong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] On the fifth day since the full return to in-person classes, the number of confirmed student cases has reached an all-time high. As daily life resumes and cases surge, education authorities are recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for children and adolescents, but parental resistance remains strong.

According to the Ministry of Education, from the 18th to the 24th of this month, 2,790 students from kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools were confirmed positive, averaging 398.6 cases per day. This is the first time the daily average has approached the 400 mark and exceeds the previous highest record of 372 daily cases from October 28 to November 3.

During the same period, 982 students in Seoul tested positive, averaging 140.2 cases per day. In Seoul, 88% of students attended school, and 96% of schools conducted in-person classes.

As the proportion of confirmed cases among children and adolescents steadily increased, quarantine and education authorities shifted from voluntary vaccination to actively recommending it. According to the Ministry of Education, among 3,001 confirmed cases aged 12 to 17 in the past two weeks, 98.7% were unvaccinated. As of the 24th, the first-dose vaccination rate for ages 12 to 17 is 41.5%, and the completion rate for the second dose is 16%. By age group, the completion rate is 46% for ages 16 to 17 and about 1.3% for ages 12 to 15. In response, health authorities are considering extending vaccine reservations for children and adolescents until the end of the year and vaccinations until January next year to increase vaccination rates.

On the morning of the 22nd, when full in-person attendance begins for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools in the Seoul metropolitan area, students are attending school at an elementary school in Dobong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Vaccination for children and adolescents requires parental consent. However, many parents prefer their children to receive only the flu vaccine and avoid the COVID-19 vaccine due to concerns about side effects. A parent of a middle school student said, "Even if my husband and I get vaccinated, I don't want to experiment on my children with the vaccine," adding, "I'm anxious about vaccinating them because of unverified side effects." A parent in their 40s said, "I only let my child get the flu vaccine and told them to wear masks properly, but I'm worried about infection since there are confirmed cases at school." A parent in their 50s said, "The adolescent vaccination program just started, but now they are introducing a vaccine pass for teenagers, so it feels like vaccination is shifting from voluntary to mandatory, which is burdensome."

The Ministry of Education has sent informational notices through metropolitan and provincial education offices about additional COVID-19 vaccination reservations for children and adolescents, as well as the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. The government is also considering extending the 'vaccine pass' system to include teenagers in places like restaurants and cafes. Experts predict that the number of confirmed cases could rise to 10,000 by early next year. Based on this, authorities plan to persuade parents and students more strongly.

An official from the Ministry of Education said, "We will soon announce details regarding the vaccine pass after gathering opinions from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and others. We are considering making the vaccine pass mandatory for events with more than 100 participants," adding, "Experts have mentioned that vaccination should be mandatory rather than just recommended, so we are thinking about ways to increase vaccination rates."

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of Gachon University’s Department of Preventive Medicine said, "It must be clearly communicated that vaccination is thoroughly beneficial for children and adolescents. As the outbreak worsens, getting vaccinated even a little earlier increases the benefits," and added, "Since we have to send children to school, we must accept vaccination as part of the path we have chosen."