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would be nice if the corona disappeared like the snow melted, but the reality is harsher than the cold wave. A more sensitive indicator than simple confirmed cases, the number of severe cases exceeded 1,000 for two days in a row, recording the highest number. The government has started to block the spread of the virus through booster vaccinations, but the first case of infection with the Omicron mutation was confirmed in Korea despite the booster vaccination. All four.



Reporter Jo Ki-ho reports.



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Yesterday (18th), there were 12 additional confirmed cases of Omicron mutation in Korea, all of them from overseas.



The cumulative number of infected people nationwide is 178, and as a result of investigation by the quarantine authorities, it was confirmed that 4 of them had even completed the third vaccination.



First, the two received the third dose of Pfizer vaccine, one confirmed on the 3rd day after vaccination, and the other on the 36th day.



Another two people received booster doses with Janssen and Moderna vaccines, respectively, after receiving the Janssen vaccine, and both were confirmed more than 14 days later.



The quarantine authorities are currently classifying the Janssen booster vaccination as a tertiary vaccination.



Omicron infection after the third dose has been reported abroad, but this is the first case in Korea.



The quarantine authorities have also stated that the third dose cannot prevent 100% of Omicron.



[Jung Eun-kyung/Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Last 16th): (In a British study) When the third dose of Pfizer vaccine was administered, the effect of preventing delta mutation increased to more than 90%, and the effect of preventing omicron mutation was also 70-75% It has been confirmed.]



Experts emphasized that the vaccine's effectiveness is clear, given that all four infected people after the third vaccination are now all mild.



[Cheon Eun-mi/Professor of Respiratory Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital: In case of additional vaccination, it is known that the immune activity is active and the rate of severe prevention is quite high because it turns out that a lot of antibodies are formed...

.]



As of 00:00 this morning, the 3rd vaccination rate was 22.5% of the population and 56.6% based on the elderly aged 60 and over.



(Video editing: Jeon Min-gyu, CG: Jo Soo-in)