Over 40 children and teenagers have died from COVID-19 in South Korea to date, most of whom were unvaccinated or suffering from underlying medical conditions.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on Thursday, the cumulative death toll of those 18 and younger stands at 44 since the first death was reported last November.

Some 66 percent of the 44 deaths were those aged nine and younger. The gender ratio was relatively close, with boys accounting for 54-point-five percent and girls 45-point-five.

More than 52 percent of those who died had underlying conditions such as diseases with the nervous or endocrine systems.

Out of 22 deaths among those aged five and older and therefore eligible for vaccines, 81-point-eight percent were not inoculated. The other 18-point-two percent had received two shots.