93% of COVID-19 infections are among unvaccinated

A healthcare worker holds a vial of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at a hospital in Yangcheon District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

The vast majority ― 93 percent ― of coronavirus infections reported in Korea over the last three months have occurred among unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people, prompting concerns, as some 5.77 million individuals in the country have yet to receive a single dose.

According to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, Friday, a total of 108,646 people tested positive for the virus between July 4 and Sep. 19, among whom 93 percent were either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

During the same period, 96 percent of the 2,292 critically ill patients were not fully vaccinated, while 87 percent of the 280 deaths were patients who had not been fully vaccinated.

Given such data, health authorities say that unvaccinated people are at higher risk of infection, and that they are more likely than fully vaccinated individuals to fall into critical condition once infected.

They also warned that the country may see a resurgence of infections among the unimmunized.

“We can see from cases in other countries that they are experiencing big resurgences of the virus, especially among the unvaccinated. Korea will likely not be an exception. This will pose a serious risk to our plan for a gradual transition to a 'living with COVID-19' era,” health ministry spokesperson Son Young-rae said, at a briefing, Friday.

He said that the government will continue to offer vaccination opportunities to those who have not received the shot, but noted that it will not “force” people to get inoculated.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), some 5.77 million eligible recipients have not received a single dose yet. Only 7 percent of them made a vaccine reservation during the additional reservation period that ran from Sept. 18 to 30.

Against this backdrop, the government is planning to implement a set of measures to increase accessibility to the vaccines.

From Oct. 18, people will be able to receive a leftover vaccine at a local clinic without making a reservation. Public health authorities are also reviewing launching a vaccine outreach program.