• J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jan 2022

    Analyses of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Among Korean Military Personnel After Mass Vaccination.

    • Dong Hoon Shin, Hong Sang Oh, Haebong Jang, Sangho Lee, Byung Seop Choi, and Donghoon Kim.
    • Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Armed Forces Yangju Hospital, Yangju, Korea.
    • J. Korean Med. Sci. 2022 Jan 17; 37 (3): e23e23.

    BackgroundThe military was one of the first groups in Korea to complete mass vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their high vulnerability to COVID-19. To confirm the effect of mass vaccination, this study analyzed the patterns of confirmed cases within Korean military units.MethodsFrom August 1 to September 15, 2021, all epidemiological data regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases in military units were reviewed. The number of confirmed cases in the units that were believed to have achieved herd immunity (i.e., ≥ 70% vaccination) was compared with the number of cases in the units that were not believed to have reached herd immunity (< 70% vaccination). Additionally, trends in the incidence rates of COVID-19 in the military and the entire Korean population were compared.ResultsBy August 2021, 85.60% of military personnel were fully vaccinated. During the study period, a total of 174 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the 39 units. More local transmission (herd immunity group vs. non-herd immunity group [%], 1 [0.91] vs. 39 [60.94]) and hospitalizations (12 [11.01] vs. 13 [27.08]) occurred in the units that were not believed to have achieved herd immunity. The percentage of fully vaccinated individuals among the confirmed COVID-19 cases increased over time, possibly due to the prevalence of the delta variant. Nevertheless, the incidence rate remained lower in military units than in the general Korean population.ConclusionAfter completing mass vaccination, the incidence rates of COVID-19 infection in the military were lower than those in the national population. New cluster infections did not occur in vaccinated units, thereby suggesting that herd immunity has been achieved in these military units. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which levels of non-pharmacological intervention can be reduced in the future.© 2021 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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