ADMINISTRATIONS OF BIVALENT VACCINES

[Anchor Lead]

Despite the drops in new COVID-19 cases, it is too early for the nation to lower its guard, due to a possible resurgence of infections and an expected twindemic of COVID-19 and seasonal flu. The nation began the administration of bivalent vaccines, which are more effective in coping with the Omicron variant, starting today.

[Pkg]

South Korea added some 15,000 new COVID-19 cases as of the midnight on Tuesday. The daily tally is a 15-week low since June 28th shortly before the latest wave of infections began. In particular, the number of cases imported from overseas has been hovering below 100 for a week. It is mainly due to the lifting of the requirement on inbound travelers to receive the PCR test after their entry into the country. According to the analysis of virus types by health authorities, all of recent infections were caused by the sub-variants of Omicron, including BA.5. Beginning today, the nation will start the administration of bivalent vaccines, which were developed to better tackle the Omicron-related variants. The first bivalent vaccine to be administered are those based on BA.1, developed by Moderna. It is said to be nearly 1.7 times more effective than the previous vaccine in protecting against the currently dominant BA.5 variant.

[Soundbite] Prof. Jeong Jae-hun(Gachon University) : "The BA.5 is highly evasive to immunity. Therefore, experts say BA.1-based vaccines can not cope with it properly. The current vaccination is not for completely preventing infections but for protecting patients from serious complications."

Bivalent vaccines will be first given to those with weaker immunity and the elderly people aged 60 or above who have already received the first and second shots. Roughly 300,000 people have made appointments with clinics to receive the bivalent vaccines since the booking opened last month. Even if you are not in the priority group, those aged between 18 and 59 can receive bivalent shots with left-over vaccines if they have completed the first and second rounds of basic vaccination. On top of Covid concerns, flu prevention also remains pivotal. Elderly people aged 75 or older will also be able to receive free flu shots starting Wednesday amid a surge in possible flu cases.