Current Status of COVID-19 Outbreak and Vaccination in the Republic of Korea

Purpose: This study examines the current status of COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Korea. Therefore, we investigate the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines and their properties, COVID-19 vaccine prioritization guidance and timeline, and the status of adverse events after the COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, we examine the SARS-CoV-2 variants and the current prevalent variants in the Republic of Korea. Method: This study was conducted on Web-based searches about the latest updates COVID-19 from the World Health Organization, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In addition, we searched for the “COVID-19 OR vaccines” in PubMed and then reviewed the selected articles re-garding COVID-19 vaccines, prioritization guidance, adverse effects, and variants. Results: To date, 4 COVID-19 vaccines have been received regulatory approval in the Republic of Korea. To promote stable COVID-19 vaccination, the COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Task Force announced the order of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and vaccination schedules from the first and the third quarter of 2021, intending to complete the first dose of vaccination in 70% of the country s population by the end of September 2021. Currently, a total of 20,169,592 vaccine doses have been administered until August 02, 2021, representing 38.9% of the total population, and 7,289,659 individuals(about 14.1% of the country’s population) have been fully vaccinated so far. In total, 0.49%(105,937 cases) of individuals who were vaccinated reported adverse effects. Among them, 94.9% were general adverse reactions, and 5.1% were severe adverse effects, including death and suspected ana-phylaxis(severe allergic reactions). Recently, Delta variant is significantly expanding since June, and it is currently the predominant strain of the virus in the Republic of Korea. Conclusion: Since June 12, the highest Social Distancing Level 4 has been implemented in the Seoul Metropoli-tan Area. With COVID-19 vaccination, we need to cooperate with antivirus measures and cancel unnecessary so-cial gatherings to protect ourselves from the persistent infectious disease.