South Korea reports 5 more 'breakthrough' COVID-19 cases

ANKARA (AA) – South Korea confirmed on Thursday that five more persons tested positive for coronavirus, despite being fully vaccinated.

The number of so-called "breakthrough" infections recorded in the Southeast Asian country has now reached nine, Yonhap News Agency cited the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) as saying.

A “breakthrough case" is when a person tests positive for COVID-19 between the first and second doses of a two-dose regimen, or after full vaccination.

Health authorities said the new infections were reported in all those who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They are all between the ages of 70 and 80, with three women and two men.

The KDCA said such cases may continue to increase, urging people to keep wearing masks in public places.

As many as 8.56 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country since Feb. 26, according to Our World in Data, a tracking website.

With 681 new infections and three related deaths in the past 24 hours, the overall caseload has reached 142,157, including 1,968 fatalities.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid