Jeonnam Province Urges COVID-19 Vaccination for High-Risk Groups Including Those Over 65

【Financial News Muan=Hwang Taejong Reporter】Jeonnam Province announced that due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in neighboring countries like Hong Kong and Taiwan, they urge COVID-19 vaccination for high-risk groups including seniors over 65.
 According to Jeonnam Province, the free COVID-19 vaccination campaign for the 2024-2025 season, which started on October 11 last year, targets seniors over 65, immunocompromised individuals over 6 months old, and residents of infection-prone facilities. Unvaccinated individuals can receive the vaccine until the end of June and should confirm available medical institutions through health centers before visiting.
 The vaccination rate in Jeonnam is currently 55.3% as of the 20th (national average 47.4%), the highest in the country, but still, 1 in 2 high-risk individuals remain unvaccinated.
 Jeonnam Province considers the possibility of a summer outbreak based on past patterns and confirms that the virus prevalent overseas shows an effective immune response to the currently used vaccines, indicating preventive efficacy.
 Vaccination is recommended as soon as possible, considering the period (4 weeks) required for sufficient immunity formation after vaccination.
 Jeonnam Province is particularly monitoring local patient trends due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in neighboring countries. COVID-19 monitoring has been operated as a sample surveillance system in 9 local and 221 national medical institutions since it was reclassified as a 4th-grade infectious disease in August 2023, with Jeonnam maintaining stability with 0-3 cases weekly.
 Jeonnam Province plans to expand the monitoring system by adding 112 hospital-level institutions if more than 10 confirmed cases are detected nationwide or in local sample surveillance.
 Nam Manseok, head of Jeonnam Province's Infectious Disease Management Division, stated, "Vaccination is the top priority for preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19," and urged, "Please adhere strictly to preventive measures such as wearing masks during visits to infection-prone facilities, practicing cough etiquette, hand washing, and regular ventilation."
hwangtae@fnnews.com Hwang Taejong Reporter