Breakthrough cases near 8,000, most frequent among those in 30s

A medical worker prepares to conduct coronavirus tests at a screening clinic in front of Seoul Station on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

South Korea has reported nearly 8,000 coronavirus infections involving people who tested positive for COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated, health authorities said Wednesday.

Out of more than 17.75 million people who have received the full-dose vaccine regimen, there were 7,772 breakthrough cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Since its nationwide inoculation campaign began in late February, a total of 38.76 million people, or 75.5 percent of the country's population, have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, and 24.64 million people, or 48 percent, have been fully vaccinated, according to the KCDA.

The rate of breakthrough cases occurring in people in their 30s was the highest at 0.111 percent, with the rate decreasing among the elderly, the KDCA said.

The rate of breakthrough cases among those who have received jabs supplied by US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson came to 0.172 percent, trailed by AstraZeneca with 0.031 percent and Pfizer with 0.015 percent.

The KDCA said similar cases may increase as the country's vaccine rollout revs up, though the proportion of breakthrough cases is extremely low.

The rate of breakthrough cases occurring is 0.044 percent, and the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risk of becoming a breakthrough case, the authorities said. (Yonhap)