Fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose available for the elderly

The fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines will be available for those over 60, effective from Thursday. The fourth dose, which had been administered to those in nursing hospitals, will be rolled out to the general elderly population.

The dose will be available for the 12.23 million population aged over 60, starting from Thursday. Eligibility is 120 days passed after the third dose, and those who wish to receive the dose can do so by booking an appointment via Naver or Kakao Talk. General vaccinations, in which date and location can be booked ahead, will start on April 25 after receiving pre-bookings on April 18.

Health authorities will issue eased social distancing measures on April 15. Restrictions on operating hours for restaurants (midnight) and personal gatherings (up to 10 people) may be lifted, but mask requirements for outdoors may not be scrapped for the upcoming announcement.


Keun-Hyung Yoo noel@donga.com