A survey by the quarantine authorities found that the fatality rate of a person infected with Covid-19 a second time is nearly 80 percent higher than that of a person infected only once.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) analyzed the fatality rate for 8,472,714 confirmed cases after July 24, 2022, when the Omicron BA.5 mutation became the dominant strain.
They found that the fatality rate for those infected twice with Covid-19 was 0.11 percent, which was 1.79 times higher than the 0.06 percent reported for those infected once.
The number of reinfected persons has been steadily increasing in recent months, with one in five confirmed cases estimated to be a reinfection case. The rate of presumed cases of reinfection in the first week of January was 19.92 percent, higher than the 19.02 percent reported in the last week of December.
Citing the survey results, the authorities emphasized the need to get vaccinated even if there was a history of infection in the past.
"The rate of reinfection is increasing, and the risk of death in case of reinfection is also high," the CDSCH said. "As vaccination reduces reinfection and severe progression, it is necessary to be vaccinated according to the recommended vaccination period even if a person has tested positive for Covid-19 before."
According to the government’s analysis of 1,318,469 confirmed cases between Nov. 13 and Dec. 10 last year, the risk of severe progression for those that received the booster shot was reduced by 93.9 percent compared to those unvaccinated.
The rate of severe cases in the unvaccinated confirmed group was 16.3 times higher than that of the group that received the booster vaccine and seven times higher than the group that completed the second booster vaccine.
On Wednesday, Korea added 36,908 new Covid-19 infections, including 95 cases from abroad, bringing the total caseload to 29,898,142, according to the KDCA.
The nation also reported 43 more Covid-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 33,057. The number of critically ill patients reached 490, down 13 from the previous day.