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SEOUL — South Korea on Monday started to roll out fourth shots of coronavirus vaccines to those at high risk as the country faces an omicron-fueled surge in infections.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced a fourth dose for “the high-risk group,” which includes about 1.3 million people with reduced immunity and some 500,000 who live or work at nursing homes and care facilities.
“The purpose is to prevent deaths and critically ill cases in the high-risk group amid a surge in infections since omicron became the dominant variant,” the KDCA said in a news release on the vaccine plan. The agency said a fourth shot is necessary for high-risk citizens who face a waning of protection after receiving a third shot.
About 85 percent of South Korea’s 52 million people are considered fully vaccinated. Just over 57 percent have received a third shot, or booster. A fourth shot, or second booster, can be received four months after the third, the KDCA said.
The KDCA’s commissioner, Jeong Eun-kyeong, said the agency does not have plans to expand the fourth dose to all adults.
South Korea’s daily caseload on Monday topped 50,000 for the fifth day in a row, a tenfold increase from the levels seen three weeks ago. About 1,200 coronavirus patients are in hospitals as of Monday, according to the KDCA. The country’s health officials warned that the rise in infections could lead to more deaths and critically ill cases.
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