Japan rises two steps to 15th, Korea ranks 16th
Vaccination rate higher but gap in confirmed cases widens
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] According to Bloomberg News in the United States, Japan has surpassed South Korea for the first time since February this year in the monthly 'Covid Resilience Ranking' of 53 major countries. Although South Korea has a higher vaccination completion rate than Japan, the recent spread of Covid-19 has been much more severe in South Korea compared to Japan, leading to the reversal in rankings.
On the 1st (local time), Bloomberg News announced the November Covid Resilience Ranking based on data as of the 29th of last month, where South Korea ranked 16th among 53 major countries, one rank lower than Japan, which ranked 15th. South Korea dropped two places from 14th in October, while Japan rose one place from 16th to 15th during the same period.
Although South Korea's vaccination rate is higher than Japan's, the ranking dropped due to the recent worsening spread and hospital bed shortages. According to Our World in Data, South Korea's vaccination completion rate is 80.03%, while Japan's is 77.31%, nearly 3% lower. However, as of the previous day, South Korea reported 5,124 daily confirmed Covid-19 cases, whereas Japan reported 78, showing a significantly higher number in South Korea.
In Bloomberg's ranking, South Korea scored slightly higher than Japan in vaccine doses administered, but showed lower scores in the reduction of flights compared to 2019 and the travel freedom of vaccinated individuals. Considering the recent surge in Covid-19 cases and the detection of Omicron variant cases, there are concerns that South Korea's ranking may decline further.
Previously, South Korea was selected as a Covid-19 MVP prevention country by Bloomberg News along with Norway, Denmark, Finland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, and Switzerland, maintaining a top 10 ranking until the first half of this year. However, since May, as the Covid-19 situation worsened, South Korea has fallen out of the top 10.
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