Boosted Third Dose... 1 Million People Vaccinated Today

On the afternoon of the 10th, medical staff at the Dongshin Hospital Vaccination Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, are organizing syringes containing the third dose of the Moderna vaccine.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] For the first time since the COVID-19 vaccine third dose rollout began in earnest, the number of daily vaccine recipients exceeded 1 million.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced on the 15th at 5 p.m. that, according to provisional data, more than 1 million people participated in COVID-19 vaccination on that day.

As of 5 p.m. that day, the total number of daily vaccinations was 1,010,797. This includes 82,439 first doses, 54,274 second doses, and 874,384 third doses. The totals for each dose and the overall total differ due to the inclusion of Janssen vaccine recipients, which requires only one dose.

Based on the provisional tally, the vaccination rates relative to the total population are 84.1% for the first dose, 81.5% for the second dose, and 17.2% for the third dose.

Notably, among the elderly aged 60 and over, who are the focus of the third dose campaign, the third dose vaccination rate is 46.2%. Of these, approximately 457,000 people aged 60 to 74 received their vaccination on that day alone.

However, this is not the highest number ever recorded. On September 6, when the second dose campaign was at its peak, 1,379,315 vaccinations were administered, marking the highest daily count, with daily recipients around 1 million at that time. But as the second dose vaccination rate surpassed 70%, the daily number of vaccinations dropped significantly.

Since then, the health authorities have expanded promotion of the third dose, including shortening the interval between doses and focusing on third doses for those aged 60 and over, while participation in first and second doses among adolescents has increased. As a result, on the 13th, 927,113 people were vaccinated in one day, showing a recent significant increase in vaccination numbers.

The Promotion Team earnestly urged, "We sincerely ask everyone to participate in vaccination to protect their health and daily life," and appealed, "Those whose vaccination interval has arrived should make sure to receive the third dose as soon as possible."