Osan-si to Prioritize COVID-19 Vaccination for Elderly Starting from the 19th

General Citizens from the 1st of Next Month

Osan City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 10th that it will begin priority COVID-19 vaccination for seniors aged 65 and older starting from the 19th.

The priority vaccination recommendation targets include ▲ seniors aged 65 and older ▲ residents and workers in infection-vulnerable facilities ▲ immunocompromised individuals, among others. Citizens aged 12 and older who wish to be vaccinated can also receive the vaccine. However, vaccination is only possible 90 days after the last COVID-19 vaccine dose.

The priority vaccination recommendation for seniors aged 65 and older begins on October 19, while other applicants can make reservations starting from the 18th through the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s COVID-19 vaccination pre-registration system (http://ncvr.kdca.go.kr), with vaccinations available from the 1st of next month.

The vaccines used for this round are XBB-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which the city explained have up to four times greater effectiveness against the current variant virus. Vaccination institutions can be checked on the Osan City website.

Meanwhile, as COVID-19 infections caused by variant viruses continue, the fatality rate for those aged 65 and older is about 40 times higher compared to those under 65. Last year, seniors aged 65 and older accounted for 91.9% of COVID-19 related deaths.

Starting this year, COVID-19 vaccination has been switched to a single dose per year, similar to the flu vaccine, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency also recommends simultaneous vaccination with the flu shot.