Major Vaccine Childhood Immunization Rates Remained High Even During the COVID Period

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination rates for major vaccines preventing diseases such as tuberculosis and measles among children remained high.

On the 27th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced the "2022 National Childhood Vaccination Coverage Status," reporting that the domestic age-specific full vaccination rates (the proportion of children who received all recommended doses of each vaccine) were 96.1% for 1-year-olds, 93.5% for 2-year-olds, 89.7% for 3-year-olds, and 88.6% for 6-year-olds. The number of vaccines and doses required increases each year; for example, 1-year-olds receive 16 doses of 6 types of vaccines, whereas 6-year-olds receive 28 to 30 doses of 10 types of vaccines.

There had been concerns that vaccination rates would significantly drop as children spent more time at home during the COVID-19 period. However, the full vaccination rates for ages 1 to 3 showed only slight decreases or remained similar over the three years of the pandemic. The full vaccination rate for 6-year-olds actually increased from 83.5% in 2020 to 88.6% last year.

The KDCA attributed this to the active participation of the public in infectious disease prevention and the elementary school entry vaccination verification program conducted jointly with the Ministry of Education. This program verifies whether children aged 4 to 6 have completed additional vaccinations within 90 days after entering elementary school and encourages vaccination for those who have not yet been vaccinated.

Vaccination rates in South Korea were found to be 2 to 10 percentage points higher than those in major foreign countries. The average vaccination rate for six vaccines among 2-year-old children in South Korea was 96.5%, compared to 86.6% in the United States, 94.7% in Australia, and 91.3% in the United Kingdom.

According to the KDCA, all 18 types of national vaccinations for children under 12 years old are provided free of charge. Since March, the rotavirus vaccine, which typically costs around 200,000 to 300,000 KRW at private medical institutions, has also been available free of charge.

Jiyoungmi, Director of the KDCA, stated, “Amid global concerns about declining vaccination participation during the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea has maintained strong immunity among young children based on high vaccination rates. We thank the parents who actively participated in improving vaccination rates and will continue to strengthen public awareness campaigns and cooperation with related organizations such as the Ministry of Education.”