Korea shortens interval for booster shots amid increasing breakthrough cases

Medical workers at Seoul Medical Center monitor COVID-19 patients in an incentive care unit, Wednesday. Yonhap

Emergency risk evaluation to be conducted when over 75% of ICU beds are occupied

By Jun Ji-hye

The government has decided to shorten the interval between regular COVID-19 vaccine doses and booster shots from six months to four months for elderly residents over the age of 60 as well as inpatients and employees at nursing homes and geriatric hospitals.

This will also be applied to those working at medical facilities.

The interval will be reduced from six months to five months for citizens over the age of 50 in addition to soldiers, police officers and firefighters.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the decision, Wednesday, as part of measures to cope with a continued increase in breakthrough infections involving people who are testing positive for COVID-19 even after having been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

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"Speeding up administering booster shots has become an urgent task to prevent further breakthrough infections," Kim said during a government meeting he presided over. "Under this plan, 13.78 million residents are expected to receive booster shots by the end of the year, nearly double the number of people who were on the initial list."

Kim noted the decision is also aimed at protecting the elderly amid a rapid increase in the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients in recent weeks, as those over the age of 60 account for 82 percent of the critical cases and 97 percent of the deaths.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks during a government meeting on COVID-19 responses at the Government Complex Sejong, Wednesday. Yonhap

The announcement came as the country has seen a spike in daily new virus infections since the "Living with COVID-19" plan was implemented on Nov. 1.

The plan is aimed at achieving a "return to normalcy" through a gradual phasing out of many coronavirus-related restrictions. The government has already eased key social distancing measures, lifting the limitations on operating hours for restaurants, bars, cafes and movie theaters.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country added 3,187 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, the second-highest figure since the nation reported its first virus patient in January last year. The latest figure increased sharply by 1,063 from the previous day.

The number of critically ill patients hit an all-time high of 522, deepening concerns over medical capacity.

In a bid to cope with mounting concerns over soaring infections under "Living with COVID-19," the government said it will carry out a risk evaluation every week to decide on whether to move on to the next stage of the policy or suspend it.

Seventeen indices for the evaluation include the ratio of the occupied intensive care unit (ICU) beds for COVID-19 patients, the weekly number of new critically ill patients and the ratio of virus patients over the age of 60.

Based on those indices, the government will evaluate the risk of COVID-19 situations in five stages ― very low, low, medium, high and very high ― every week.

"An emergency evaluation will be conducted when more than 75 percent of ICU beds are occupied, when a weekly evaluation is concluded as high or very high and when a four-week evaluation is concluded as high or very high," KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said during a media briefing.

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