Presumed population immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea, April 2022
10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0209
- Author:
Eun Jung JANG
1
;
Young June CHOE
;
Seung Ah CHOE
;
Yoo-Yeon KIM
;
Ryu Kyung KIM
;
Jia KIM
;
Do Sang LIM
;
Ju Hee LEE
;
Seonju YI
;
Sangwon LEE
;
Young-Joon PARK
Author Information
1. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Korea
- Publication Type:Brief Report
- From:
Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives
2022;13(5):377-381
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Objectives:: We estimated the overall and age-specific percentages of the Korean population with presumed immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as of April 2022 using the national registry.
Methods:: We used the national coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and vaccination registry from South Korea, as described to define individuals with a previous history of COVID-19 infection, vaccination, or both, as persons with presumed immunity.
Results:: Of a total of 53,304,627 observed persons, 24.4% had vaccination and infection, 58.1% had vaccination and no infection, 7.6% had infection and no vaccination, and 9.9% had no immunity. The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged at a time when the presumed population immunity ranged from 80% to 85%; however, nearly half of the children were presumed to have no immunity.
Conclusion:: We report a gap in population immunity, with lower presumed protection in children than in adults. The approach presented in this work can provide valuable informed tools to assist vaccine policy-making at a national level.
