227,774 People Vaccinated on First Day: "COVID-19 and Flu Vaccinations Should Be Administered Simultaneously"

Jiyoungmi, the Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, recommended the simultaneous administration of COVID-19 and influenza (flu) vaccines.

In her opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held on the morning of the 20th, Jiyoungmi said, "It has been confirmed that the effectiveness of the vaccines is not reduced and they are safe even when the COVID-19 and flu vaccines are administered simultaneously." The commissioner added, "Although COVID-19 has been reclassified as a Category 4 infectious disease, the severity and fatality rates among high-risk groups remain high, requiring continuous management." She also noted, "The waning immunity over time, the emergence of new variants, and the increase in indoor activities during the winter season create favorable conditions for the spread of COVID-19."

On the 19th, when free COVID-19 vaccinations began for high-risk groups and seniors aged 65 and older, an elderly person visiting a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, received the Pfizer vaccine. General individuals aged 12 to 64 who are not in the high-risk group can receive free vaccinations starting from the 1st of next month. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The government began COVID-19 vaccinations for high-risk groups, including the elderly aged 65 and over, the day before. General citizens aged 12 to 64 and high-risk groups under 12 years old will be able to receive vaccinations starting from the 1st of next month. Vaccinations are free of charge for both high-risk groups and the general public. On the previous day, 227,774 high-risk individuals were vaccinated. Among them, about half, 107,751 people, received simultaneous influenza vaccinations. This number exceeds three times the number of people vaccinated on the first day of the bivalent vaccine campaign last winter, which was around 62,000.

Commissioner Jiyoungmi explained, "The new vaccines used for vaccination have been confirmed to be effective not only against the currently circulating XBB lineage variants but also against newly increasing variants such as EG.5." She added, "Compared to last winter’s bivalent vaccines, the frequency of adverse events such as injection site pain was lower." She continued, "COVID-19 is expected to have one or two waves of outbreaks annually going forward," emphasizing, "To reduce the scale of outbreaks and minimize health damage, increasing vaccination rates is of utmost importance."