Several parent associations in South Korea held protests yesterday against a vaccine pass mandate for children aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 among teenagers.
The government has said that from February, anyone aged 12 or older would require a vaccine pass to enter public spaces, including private tuition centers, libraries and study cafes that most students attend after school.
The current exemption age is 17.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The mandate has sparked uproar among some parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, citing potential adverse effects.
At least 70 members of parent associations gathered in front of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency building in Cheongju yesterday, holding up signs that read: “Vaccine dictatorship.”
A poll conducted this week by an advocacy group showed that 93 percent of the more than 18,000 parents who responded were against the idea of enforcing the vaccine pass mandate on students.
Health officials have said that vaccines offer protection against severe symptoms, and the rate of adverse effects reported among teenagers is lower than that of adults.
The wider vaccine pass mandate comes as infections among teenagers in South Korea have risen sharply following the resumption of full-time in-person classes last month.
Out of 100,000 children, 210 infections were reported over the past four weeks, while out of a same number of adults, only 167 tested positive. New daily infections rose this week to more than 7,000 for the first time, government data showed.
Infections in children accounted for 8.3 percent of cases in the past two weeks, and 99.8 percent of them were either unvaccinated or partially immunized.
South Korea has fully vaccinated nearly 92 percent of its adults, while 11 percent have received a booster shot. The inoculation rate for the 12-to-17 age group remains at 34 percent.
The country reported 7,102 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, slightly below the record high 7,175 a day earlier. Hospitals are treating 857 severe COVID-19 cases.
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