Nearly half of new COVID-19 cases recently reported in the nation were found to be breakthrough infections, or cases in which a fully vaccinated person tests positive for the virus. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said Tuesday that out of some 17-thousand people aged 18 or older who tested positive for COVID-19 over the past two weeks, 48-point-one percent had been fully vaccinated. 

Nearly 33 percent were unvaccinated, while some 19 percent were people who had received only one jab of a two-shot regimen. 

The rate of breakthrough infections was higher among the elderly. 

They accounted for less than 20 percent of those aged 18 to 29 confirmed COVID-positive. More than 84 percent of people in their 70s and 81 percent of cases reported among people in their 60s were characterized as breakthrough infections.