SEOUL-- South Korea has confirmed a total of 81 breakthrough COVID-19 infections so far, health authorities said Tuesday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the patients had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday even after being administered with the full-dose vaccine regimen here.
A "breakthrough case" refers to when a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 two weeks after being administered with the full-dose regimen.
Of the total, 37 were administered with COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer, followed by 25 with AstraZeneca and 19 with Johnson & Johnson's Janssen.
Kim Sung-kyu, the leader of K-pop boy band INFINITE, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on June 25 after he received the single-dose Janssen vaccine on June 10.
The KDCA said similar cases may increase as the country's vaccine rollout revs up, though the proportion of breakthrough cases of the total is extremely low.
The authorities said even after full vaccinations, a person can be infected with COVID-19. They also said that those who are classified as breakthrough infection cases have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.
South Korea has inoculated 30 percent of its 51.3 million population with at least one shot since late February, but it has faced some glitches in proceeding with the vaccination program due to tight supplies. The KDCA said 5.32 million people have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 10.5 percent of the population.
Source: Yonhap News Agency