As BA.5 cases mount, gov't may offer more jabs

Social Affairs

Published: 11 Jul. 2022, 17:09 Updated: 11 Jul. 2022, 19:14

As BA.5 cases mount, gov't may offer more jabs

People line up to get a Covid-19 test at a clinic in the southwestern city of Daegu on Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of Covid-19 screening clinics fell from 860 during the Omicron wave to 619 as of Monday. [NEWS1]

Korea is struggling to deal with the rearing wave of Omicron subvariant BA.5 cases, and one thing it's considering is expanding eligibility for fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

The country confirmed 12,693 new coronavirus cases Monday, more than double last Monday's 6,249, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Compared to two weeks ago's 3,423 cases, Monday’s figure jumped by 270.8 percent. Korea's total caseload stands at 18,524,538.

New cases peaked during the Omicron wave in mid-March, hit a low of 3,423 on June 27, but recently started climbing.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is back on an upward trend — and the warning lights are now on one after another,” said Lee Ki-il, second vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, during a press briefing last Friday.

Amid the uptick in Covid-19 cases, health authorities are set to announce a tighter set of preventive measures this Wednesday. They reportedly include plans to expand eligibility for fourth doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and extend quarantine mandates for confirmed patients.

The National Infectious Diseases Consulting Committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting Monday evening to discuss the issue.

Groups currently eligible for a fourth vaccine dose are people over the age of 59; immune-compromised people; and residents or workers at nursing hospitals. According to domestic media reports, the government is considering offering the shots to people in their 50s.

While getting inoculated with a second booster himself, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said last Friday that the government “recommends more people to receive a fourth dose,” and said it is also “considering expanding its eligibility and will soon announce the plan.”

Initially, the government reviewed expanding fourth Covid vaccine dose eligibility for the general public. But as it is still waiting for Omicron-specific Covid vaccines, it decided to offer vaccinations first for groups who are more at risk of infection and severe disease, according to a Yonhap report.

The vaccines currently in use were made based on the first coronavirus to emerge in Wuhan, making them less effective in preventing infection against the soon-to-be-dominant Omicron sublineage BA.5, which already appears to evade vaccine-acquired immunity. Even though vaccines help infected people from deteriorating into severe illness, experts say young, healthy people are less likely to become seriously ill from Covid-19 anyway.

In addition, health authorities are already struggling with a lack of popularity of the fourth vaccination shots.

The rate of people over 59 who were inoculated with a fourth dose was 31.8 percent as of Monday. They have been eligible since April 14.

On the other hand, the mandatory seven-day quarantine for people who test positive for Covid-19 is likely to be maintained.

Last month, the government extended the quarantine mandate for another four weeks until July 17 and presented six quarantine indicators as a criterion for determining any changes, including a daily death toll, a weekly average of cases and a fatality rate. In fact, those indicators worsened amid the recent wave of the virus.

Meanwhile, starting Monday, allowances for people going into self-quarantine — which are currently given to all Covid-19 patients regardless of their incomes — will only be given to households earning less than the medium income based on health insurance premiums.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]