Booster Shots Urged... Vaccine Skepticism Spreads Amid Omicron Surge

Over 7,000 New COVID-19 Cases for the First Time on the 8th
172 Breakthrough Infections Among 1.04 Million Third Dose Recipients
Citizens Ask, "Is It Really Necessary to Get the Booster Shot?"

On the 8th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 7,000, the temporary screening clinic set up in Cheongnyangni Station Plaza, Seoul, was crowded with citizens seeking tests. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 8th, the daily number of new COVID-19 cases surpassed 7,000, and the number of critically ill patients also reached the 800 mark for the first time, signaling a serious spread of COVID-19. The government is actively encouraging additional vaccinations (booster shots) to curb the spread of COVID-19, but citizens are responding lukewarmly. Even with booster shots, breakthrough infections can occur, and those who experienced various side effects from previous vaccinations tend to avoid getting the booster shot. Experts have emphasized the importance of additional vaccinations.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the morning of the 8th and explained, "Last week, the daily number of confirmed cases exceeded 5,000, and today it surpassed 7,000, showing a fierce spread. In the metropolitan area, where 80% of all confirmed cases are concentrated, hospital beds are continuously being expanded with active cooperation from the medical community, but it is still difficult to keep up with the increasing number of confirmed cases."

Prime Minister Kim also urged the elderly to receive their third dose and adolescents to complete their basic vaccinations. He said, "Speeding up the third dose for the elderly and basic vaccinations for adolescents is an urgent quarantine issue. People aged 60 and over account for 35% of all confirmed cases and 84% of critically ill patients, and the sharp increase in adolescent infections threatens schools and entire families."

The government has been emphasizing booster shot vaccinations daily. Earlier, President Moon Jae-in also chaired a special quarantine response inspection meeting at the Blue House on the 29th of last month and stated, "An urgent task as important as vaccinating the unvaccinated is to complete the third dose early."

A citizen is receiving a COVID-19 vaccine at the vaccination center set up in Sadang Sports Complex, Dongjak-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Asia Economy DB.

However, citizens' reactions to the booster shot are skeptical. Even those who completed the first and second doses often showed negative responses toward the third dose. Kim, a 25-year-old office worker who completed his second Pfizer vaccination last October, said, "Honestly, I'm not sure if the vaccine is effective. The second dose vaccination rate is over 80%, but the number of confirmed cases keeps increasing. If the number of confirmed cases had clearly decreased after vaccination, I would have gotten the booster shot."

Criticism of the booster shot continues on the Blue House's public petition board. In a petition titled "Strong Opposition to the Vaccine Pass (also known as the Quarantine Pass) Once Again," posted on the 26th of last month, the petitioner criticized, "Seeing that even those who endured pain and completed the second dose are treated as unvaccinated after six months made me question whether this is proper K-quarantine."

They added, "People who experienced severe side effects from the first and second doses will naturally refuse the booster shot out of fear of losing their one and only life. Do they have any sense?" This petition had gathered over 324,900 signatures by 2:30 PM that day, meeting the Blue House's response criteria.

Meanwhile, breakthrough infections among those who completed the third dose have increased citizens' doubts about vaccine effectiveness. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, among approximately 1.04 million people who completed the third dose, 172 breakthrough infections were reported.

Photo by Blue House, screenshot of the National Petition Board.

Moreover, as analyses suggest that the highly transmissible Omicron variant may not be prevented by existing vaccines, vaccine skepticism is intensifying. Stefan Bancel, CEO of the American pharmaceutical company Moderna, stated about the Omicron variant, "The existing vaccines will not have the same effect as they did against the Delta variant. In fact, the effectiveness seems to be reduced."

According to foreign media on the 30th of last month (local time), CEO Bancel explained, "We do not yet know how much the effectiveness of existing vaccines will decrease. We need to wait for related data, but scientists I have spoken with have shown skeptical reactions regarding the existing vaccines' efficacy against Omicron."

Experts emphasize that since existing vaccines can help prevent severe illness, it is better to get vaccinated. Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Vaccine effectiveness includes two aspects: preventing infection and preventing severe illness. Although it is very difficult to predict regarding the Omicron variant, there is a high possibility that the vaccine will still have some effect."

He added, "We must vaccinate as many people as possible to reduce the rate of severe illness and inevitably seek some coexistence with COVID-19. Even if the next variant emerges, this strategy itself will not change."