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A person receives a Pfizer-made COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Seoul’s Yangcheon District. (Yonhap News)

South Korean disease control authorities say they are not yet considering whether to administer fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines, as Israel has begun doing with its older populations.

A second booster will be considered once more scientific proof of its effectiveness is established, they added.

Hong Jeong-ik, director of the vaccination management team for Korea’s COVID-19 vaccination response task force responded to questions about the second booster shot issue during a regular Central Disease Control Headquarters back briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

“We’re currently administering third doses to seniors, and an examination of whether to introduce fourth doses will have to wait until after the third doses have been administered,” he said.

“It’s important for there to be enough examples of overseas inoculation, and we will continue to observe the Israeli case in that sense,” he continued.

Hong added, “As far as the Omicron virus variant is concerned, we plan to examine [fourth dose administration] after seeing what effects a fourth dose has, what the policy trends are in the countries that have administered third doses, and what scientific evidence there is for the need and effectiveness of fourth doses.”

For now, South Korea’s focus will remain on administering third doses of COVID-19 vaccines, he said.

In addition to efficacy and safety issues, disease control authorities also said the decision on whether to administer a second round of boosters would be based on circumstances surrounding vaccine supplies in Korea.

On Tuesday, Israeli news outlets reported that the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office had recommended the administration of fourth COVID-19 doses to older populations and medical workers. A fourth dose would be made available to people over 60 and medical workers who received their third dose at least four months earlier, as well as to immunocompromised individuals, upon approval by the nation’s Ministry of Health.

“The citizens of Israel were the first in the world to receive the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and we are continuing to pioneer with the fourth dose as well,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, adding that the administration would help Israel stave off the Omicron variant that has been spreading rapidly around the world.

In addition to being the fastest country in the world to administer first and second doses when COVID-19 vaccines first became available, Israel also became the first to adopt booster shots last July.

By Park Jun-yong, staff reporter

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