A medical worker holds up a vial of a vaccine at a public facility in Seoul on Oct. 18, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite the government’s recommendation to get a booster shot to minimize the risk of another wave of the pandemic in the winter, South Koreans remain skeptical, a survey showed Wednesday.
Local pollster Hankook Research conducted a nationwide survey of 1,000 men and women over 18 years of age, in which 65 percent of respondents who had vaccinated against COVID-19 more than twice did not intend to get a booster of the latest vaccine.
The intention not to get additional vaccinations spread from 58 percent in the third week of September to 63 percent by the last week of the same month.
As for the reasons, 34 percent said the chance of contracting COVID-19 was still there, whether they get a booster or not, while 28 percent were worried about the side effects of the vaccine and 24 percent were frustrated by having to get vaccinated on so many occasions.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters said that the inoculation rate among those eligible stood at no more than 4.8 percent as of Wednesday.
Even among vulnerable groups exposed to a high risk of infection, the inoculation rate was exceptionally low at 11 percent. The inoculation rate among those in their 60s and older stood at 13.2 percent.
The country’s inoculation rate is lower than other countries offering additional vaccines. The national inoculation rate for the U.S. was 10.1 percent as of Nov. 9, compared to 8.5 percent in Japan as of Nov. 10.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
