Correlation Between Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines and Regional Case Fatality Rates During the Omicron Wave in Korea

• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e347
• Publication Date: 2022-11-24T02:11:21Z
• Authors: Youngook Jang; In Joong Kim; Sung-Sil Moon; Sun Bean Kim; Jacob Lee
• Keywords: Case fatality rate

This study seeks to find the correlation between case fatality rates (CFRs) and third-dose vaccination coverage in 244 counties (si/gun/gu) of South Korea during omicron variant wave. Multivariate regression analyses report that higher were correlated with lower regional CFRs, when controlling for age structure. If rate a county is by 10%, it would have CFR 0.05% (95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.08%). As number cumulative confirmed cases was 16,353,495 as April 20, 2022, 0.03-0.08% equivalent 4,394-12,448 lives (8.6-24.4 per 100,000) spared. County-specific characteristics, such structure, intensive care unit availability, level non-pharmaceutical interventions may also affect extent this correlation. The conclusion implicates potential role coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines reducing pressure on healthcare capacity.