[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] People aged 60 and over can receive the 4th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine starting from the 14th. The 4th dose will be administered with mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna, starting 120 days after the 3rd dose, and those who wish can receive the Novavax vaccine.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Promotion Team) announced on the 13th that the 4th dose will be given to those aged 60 and over to prevent severe illness and death in this age group. They especially strongly recommended the 4th dose for those aged 80 and above, who have a higher fatality rate.
The Promotion Team decided to expand the vaccination target as the effectiveness of the 3rd dose decreases over time, and the proportion of confirmed cases aged 60 and over reached 20.1% in the first week of this month (April 3?9), indicating an increase in elderly confirmed cases.
Additionally, the Promotion Team added that this decision was made considering the ongoing Omicron wave and the possibility of new variant outbreaks.
The 4th dose target group includes those aged 60 and over (born before 1962) who are 120 days (4 months) past their 3rd dose.
They will receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at designated medical institutions nationwide. Those who are contraindicated or advised to postpone mRNA vaccines, or who wish to receive the Novavax vaccine, can get the 4th dose with Novavax.
Also, if vaccination at designated medical institutions is difficult, local governments can provide vaccinations at public health centers.
The 4th dose vaccination method is broadly divided into 'same-day vaccination' and 'reservation vaccination.' Same-day vaccination will be available starting from the 14th. People can reserve leftover vaccines via KakaoTalk or Naver, or call medical institutions to be placed on a standby list and then get vaccinated.
Reservation vaccination will begin on the 25th. Pre-reservations can be made from the 18th on the pre-reservation website. For those who have difficulty using the internet, proxy reservations and phone reservations (1339, local government call centers) are also available.
The Promotion Team will provide guidance on precautions and measures again on the 3rd day after vaccination for those aged 60 and over who receive the 4th dose. Additionally, to monitor adverse reactions, they plan to check the health status and daily life issues for one week after vaccination for 5,000 initial vaccinees who consented to receive text messages.
Considering the vaccination interval, the Promotion Team estimates that about 10.66 million people will be eligible for the 4th dose by the end of this month. They estimated 1.13 million people will be eligible in May and 440,000 people after June.
Meanwhile, the Promotion Team changed the criteria to allow the Novavax vaccine, which was available up to the 3rd dose, to be used for the 4th dose as well. From today, those contraindicated or advised to postpone mRNA vaccines and those wishing to receive Novavax can receive the 3rd or 4th dose with the Novavax vaccine.
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