vaccine vaccination injection

South Korea has announced that it will be giving out a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of February to high-risk groups. This comes as the country is reeling from a massive surge of infections caused by the Omicron variant.

The fourth jab will act as a second booster for those who live or work in nursing homes and care facilities, as well as those with a weak immune system that number 500,000 and 1.3 million respectively. South Korea has been reporting five-figure daily cases since late January, and on Saturday, the East Asian country hit an all-time high of 56,425.

south korea covid-19 vaccine booster
[Photo: Reuters]

Amid the Omicron wave, authorities had restricted free PCR tests to only the vulnerable group, as well as limit the number of home kits to five per person at a single location to prevent hoarding. Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said that the government will provide 190 million self-test kits next month to dispel concerns of a shortage.

The UK, Israel, France, Spain, Denmark, and the US have similarly approved a fourth jab for high-risk groups, with Israel and France currently mulling on making the extra dose available to all adults. As for Malaysia, the Ministry of Health is currently studying the need for a second COVID-19 booster for Sinovac recipients, although Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that it was still too early to come to a conclusion.

(Source: Reuters)

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