South Korea tried to move quickly in giving Corona vaccines to its citizens, even the country immediately injected the 4th dose of vaccine. That's because the Omicron variant is seen as increasingly widespread in the Ginseng Country and must be anticipated.
As quoted by Reuters, the fourth Corona vaccine is planned to be distributed in February. Meanwhile, millions of independent Corona test kits for households will also be supplied at the same time.
Despite Omicron's spread, massive citizen vaccination has helped minimize serious infections and deaths. A booster or third dose of the Corona vaccine has been given to 57% of South Korea's population of 52 million people.
South Korean Health Minister Kwon Deok Cheol stated that the first group to receive the fourth dose were those who were vulnerable and at high risk. So not everyone can get it.
"We plan to provide the fourth dose of the Corona vaccine for those living on the beach for the elderly and others, where recently there has been an increase in infections in people over the age of 60," he said.
At least 86.2% or about 44.2 million people of the entire South Korean population have received full vaccination or as many as two injections. On the other hand, the number of Corona infections has increased to 54 thousand cases in a day and active cases have crossed 1.4 million.
The increase in Omicron cases has also prompted the government to limit free PCR tests to only those deemed at high risk. Those outside the group must first undergo an antigen test which can be purchased at a store or which is free at a health facility.