Only about half of South Koreans aged 65 and over and children eligible for state-funded influenza vaccinations have completed their shots, even as the flu continues to circulate.
As of Oct. 16, the flu vaccination rate among people aged 65 and over stood at 45.8% and the COVID-19 vaccination rate at 22.1%, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Oct. 21. The flu vaccination rate among children was 43.7%, up from 27.7% a year earlier.
The agency runs a state-funded flu vaccination program for children aged six months to 14 years, pregnant women and people aged 65 and over. Those 65 and over are eligible for both flu and COVID-19 shots.
The agency said sentinel surveillance showed a slight decline in suspected flu cases but that the virus was still spreading, and it urged children and older adults to get vaccinated promptly.
In the 41st week of the year, Oct. 4 to 10, clinics reported 21.6 suspected flu cases per 1,000 outpatients. That remains higher than the 14.4 recorded a year earlier. Over the past four weeks, the rate was 32.3 in week 38, 33.0 in week 39, 23.6 in week 40 and 21.6 in week 41.
"Both suspected flu cases and new hospitalizations have fallen, but we are now entering autumn in earnest, with wider daily temperature swings and other conditions that favor the spread of respiratory infections," an agency official said. "We urge people to follow prevention guidelines and for those eligible to get vaccinated quickly."
Flu and COVID-19 Circulating Together, Raising Need for Shots
Meanwhile, a "twindemic" of simultaneous flu and COVID-19 outbreaks is continuing. Experts attribute the overlap to weakened population immunity following the easing of COVID-19 control measures and to temperature changes during the seasonal transition.
"A common cold is caused by a variety of viruses and usually brings only mild symptoms such as a runny nose, cough and slight fever, while the flu and COVID-19 come with strong systemic symptoms including a fever above 38 degrees Celsius and severe muscle pain," said Kim Seo-woo, a professor of pulmonology at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital. "This year in particular, the H1N1 subtype of the flu virus was detected as early as late August, overlapping with a resurgence of COVID-19."
The flu is marked by a rapid worsening of systemic symptoms, while COVID-19 tends to begin with fever, sore throat and loss of taste and smell, followed by a gradual onset of breathing difficulty and coughing. Some medical institutions use multiplex genetic testing to detect both viruses from a single sample, but if infection is strongly suspected despite a negative rapid antigen test result, an additional PCR test is needed to confirm a diagnosis.
"For people with weaker immune systems, such as older adults and young children, the illness can lead to fatal complications, so rapid diagnosis and early administration of treatment are very important," Kim said. "Along with basic precautions such as washing hands for at least 30 seconds after going out and ventilating indoor spaces at least three times a day for 10 minutes or more each time, vaccination is the surest form of prevention."
