Winter Season Improved Vaccine Uptake Rising... "Impact of Intensive Vaccination Period"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The vaccination rate for the winter season updated vaccines has been steadily increasing since last month.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Promotion Team) on the 1st, the vaccination rate for those aged 60 and over increased from 8.4% to 20.5%, and for infection-vulnerable facilities from 5.0% to 26.7% compared to the 3rd of last month. The winter season updated vaccine vaccinations began on October 11, and the increase is attributed to the quarantine authorities designating the period from the 21st of last month to the 18th of this month as a focused vaccination period for the winter season to boost vaccination rates.

The Promotion Team is visiting infection-vulnerable facilities and the 17 metropolitan and provincial regional health and medical councils to collect suggestions until the 2nd. Accordingly, conveniences such as allowing legal representatives not to visit in person when filling out the ‘vaccination preliminary questionnaire’ at infection-vulnerable facilities have been provided, and improvements have been made to allow the use of unopened vaccines for same-day vaccinations.

The government announced that it will continue to provide certain benefits to those who receive the updated vaccines. Additionally, it stated that rewards will be given to local governments with high vaccination rates. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to add the indicator 'winter season additional vaccination rate for those aged 60 and over' to the 2023 local government disaster management evaluation and promote separate rewards for outstanding local governments. The Ministry of Environment has been offering 30% to 50% discounts on admission or experience fees at national and public facilities such as national parks, the National Institute of Ecology, and the Biological Resources Center since the 29th of last month.

Baek Kyung-ran, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, “The steady increase in the winter season vaccination rate is believed to be because the public trusts scientific information about the necessity and safety of vaccination and voluntarily participates,” adding, “We will strive to communicate more frequently on-site and continuously share the latest information so that the public can receive vaccines with confidence.”