Sustained Vaccination Coverage during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Epidemic in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination coverage may decline due to limited accessibility to healthcare. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination coverage and the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in the Republic of Korea. National vaccination coverage of 10 essential vaccines administered to children between January-June 2019 and January-June 2020 was analyzed. The national incidence of selected VPDs was compared for the corresponding periods. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the vaccination rate in children aged 0-35 months in Korea did not decrease significantly, whereas the vaccination rate for children aged 4-6 years decreased by 1.4-1.9%. The overall incidence of VPDs decreased by 10-50% between 2019 and 2020, especially with varicella. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic did not result in a decrease in vaccination coverage among Korean children, which prevented a surge in VPD incidence. Maintaining essential vaccination coverage without interruption is important during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.