GOV’T EXPAND ELIGIBILITY FOR 4TH SHOT

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As COVID-19 is surging again, the government decided to make more people eligible for the fourth vaccine doses while maintaining the mandatory 7-day isolation rule for confirmed cases and the current level of social distancing guidelines.

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At Wednesday's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting Prime Minister Han Duk-soo announced that more people will be eligible for the fourth vaccine doses. Currently, the shots are available for individuals 60 or older or with weak immune systems. But now people in their 50s and those 18 and above with underlying conditions will be eligible for additional shots. Also, individuals in disability facilities and homeless shelters as well as in convalescent hospitals and facilities will be administered booster shots. The PM strongly recommends eligible people to receive fourth doses. The government decided to maintain the mandatory seven-day isolation rule. Social distancing rules will not be enforced at this time. However, if a major change in the virus surge is detected, some distancing measures will be enforced in phases. He highlighted that the resurgence started earlier than expected as the BA.5 variant with immune evasion capability spreads fast. And that up to 200,000 confirmed cases may be reported between mid-August and late September.

[Soundbite] Han Duk-soo(Prime Minister) : "The gov’t will try its best to steadily manage the disease control situation using its ample supply of treatment drugs, hospital beds and other medical response resources, and to protect people's health and lives."

With the nation's ICU bed occupancy rate currently standing at 10%, the government will be ready to provide proper in-patient treatment even when the daily virus tally soars to 200,000. 10,000 one-stop diagnosis centers will be established earlier than planned by the end of this month so that infected patients being treated at home may get tested, treated and receive prescriptions at neighborhood hospitals and clinics. Prime Minister Han emphasized that the virus takes advantage of complacency and asked people to follow such basic disease control measures as mask-wearing, hand-washing and ventilation.