COVID-19 BOOSTER SHOTS TO BE ADMINISTERED

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COVID-19 booster shots will begin to roll out from the fourth quarter. Minors aged 12 to 17 and pregnant women who were excluded from vaccination until now will also get their shots for the first time as authorities believe there are no concerns regarding safety.

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Booster shots are an extra vaccine dose aimed at boosting immunity. Korea's vaccine task force says boosters will be administered six months after full vaccination. High-risk groups with weak immune systems can receive the boosters even before the recommended six months.

[Soundbite] Jeong Eun-kyeong(KDCA Director) : "Boosters will be rolled out considering that antibodies decrease and breakthrough infections increase after time. The Delta variant is another factor."

Teenagers aged 12 to 17 and expecting mothers will also be vaccinated for the first time. They were excluded until now over safety concerns. A committee of experts has cleared the way and given the green-light citing no reported safety issues. In case of minors, the drug safety ministry earlier verified vaccine efficacy and safety among those 12 and older. Post-vaccination effects reported in other countries, such as the US and Britain, and assessments made by the WHO were also considered in the latest decision. Just like the boosters, jabs for 2.7 million 12 to 17 year-olds and 270-thousand pregnant women will begin in the fourth quarter. Authorities have also decided to remove the existing minimum two-week interval placed between COVID-19 vaccination and getting other kinds of vaccines. Officials said there are no scientific grounds to allowing that time. They also considered the fact that flu vaccines are also scheduled in the fourth quarter.