People stand in line to receive a COVID-19 test at a screening center in Songpa District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Gov't urged to ramp up testing capacity

By Lee Hyo-jin

The government is considering whether to lower the age limit of a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot, which is currently only offered to people aged 60 or more, as Korea grapples with a resurgence of infections led by the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron.

After health authorities offered second booster shots to the elderly and other vulnerable groups in mid-April, the inoculation rate stands at 31 percent as of Monday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

On July 8, 73-year-old Prime Minister Han Deok-soo received his fourth shot, encouraging people to follow suit. He noted that the government will soon announce a lowered age limit for the second COVID-19 booster shot, seeking to respond more effectively to the resurgence of infections.

Prime Minister Han Deok-soo receives his fourth shot of a COVID-19 vaccine at a public health center in Jongno District, Seoul, July 8. Yonhap

Some medical experts, however, were somewhat skeptical of expanding the vaccine eligibility to healthy, younger people.

Explaining that the benefits of a fourth shot on the group do not outweigh the risks of adverse effects, they advised the government to focus more on administering the doses to the vulnerable population.

"There's not enough data showing that a fourth shot is effective in preventing infections of the BA.5 subvariant, which appears to evade antibody responses among people who had previously been infected or who have been fully vaccinated," said Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital.

"Besides, it seems absurd for the government to offer the shots to younger people, reversing its earlier decision. The authorities should put more effort into increasing the vaccination rate among the elderly, which currently stands at a mere 30 percent," he added.

Eom Joong-sik, another infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Hospital, stated a similar view.

"The government could consider widening the age eligibility to 50, but I wouldn't recommend it to go lower than that, because the risk of severe illnesses and deaths is low among young people," Eom told The Korea Times over the phone.

He added that it would be best if the government could administer updated vaccine shots specifically targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, but such products are not yet available.

"Vaccines are not made overnight, so the original vaccines are the only options we have for now. But a major task of the authorities should be to persuade people, especially the vulnerable groups, to roll up their sleeves for a fourth dose," Eom said, mentioning the lingering vaccine hesitancy among the public.

People wait to receive a rapid antigen test at a local clinic in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, July 8. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han

While the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to announce this Wednesday revisions to the current antivirus measures, both experts said expanding testing capacity should be its top priority, rather than toughening social distancing measures.

Currently, free PCR tests at government-run testing centers are allowed only to high-risk groups such as the elderly or those who have traveled overseas. Others must obtain rapid antigen tests at local clinics priced at around 5,000 won or buy a self-testing kit.

"Bringing back tough social distancing measures, such as limits on operating hours and private gatherings, seems like the last thing the government would do, as it would only worsen the president's declining approval ratings," said Eom.

"Instead of such measures, the government should immediately return to the initial testing scheme of offering free PCR tests to everyone and reinstall temporary screening stations nationwide to increase access to free testing," he added.

According to the KDCA, currently, only three temporary testing centers are operating after almost all of them have been closed since April.

Kim said, "A significant number of cases have been going unreported since the government began to reduce its testing capacity."

"It's the third year of the pandemic. Public officials should know well by now that swift testing, isolation and treatment are the keys to preventing virus spread. They must act quickly before the infections go up to the hundreds of thousands," Kim said.

Meanwhile, the KDCA reported 12,693 new virus cases for Sunday, more than doubling from the 6,249 cases reported last week. The cumulative number of infections stood at 18,524,583.