❶ Unsure of a decision to purchase vaccines in advance
❷ Focus more on encouraging the development of domestic treatments
❸ Proactive response fails despite the mask crisis
President Moon Jae-in is drinking tea at the’Five Factors Invitation Meeting’ held at the Blue House on the morning of the 22nd. Blue House Photo Reporters
The Blue House is responding sensitively every day to the criticism that it has responded procrastinally to the introduction of the Corona 19 vaccine. On the 22nd, the Blue House, which announced that President Moon Jae-in had ordered the development and supply of vaccines and treatments 13 times since April, publicly refuted a media report on the 23rd that “the Blue House left the vaccine Tiff”. Although the facts are different, or considering the fact that there are many excessive criticisms and suspicions, the Blue House’s response seems to be insufficient to appease the unstable public sentiment. As a result, the key to the problem is that there is no vaccine in hand. Where did something go wrong?
① Insufficient system and budget, the Blue House should have decided in the end
The government has repeatedly explained the difficulties of the vaccine negotiation and acquisition process. Multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Modena said that it was difficult for the government to accept this because they demanded the condition that they will not be held liable for any failure in vaccine development or side effects of the vaccine. In the situation where the vaccine development pharmaceutical company is the’G’, in order to make a pre-purchase, it is necessary to sign a contract for a high price to cry and eat mustard, but in Korea, there was no legal basis and budget to bear this uncertainty and actively judge and take responsibility. An official of the passport said, “There is no law and budget, so the Blue House has no choice but to become the command tower.” In other words, it is regrettable that the Blue House should have first recognized these institutional limitations and made a strategic purchase decision even for an uncertain vaccine. This is because the Blue House is the only place that can serve as a’control tower’ that eventually takes the final responsibility when each ministry hesitates over’overhand’. It is also regrettable that experts warned of the possibility of a winter pandemic of Corona 19 and claimed that the vaccine was a’game changer’.
② The anticipation for’K(K) quarantine’ is high…
Summarizing the words of the passport officials, the government has been focusing on encouraging the development of domestic drugs while emphasizing quarantine guidelines such as’social distancing’. It is based on the judgment that if a treatment is available, it can effectively reduce the damage of infectious diseases. During a visit to SK Bioscience in October, President Moon said, “Therapeutic development is also showing rapid results.” “Celltrion is developing antibody treatments and is conducting phases 2 and 3 at the same time, He said, “The blood system treatment system developed by GC Green Cross is expected to be commercially available for patient treatment within this year by entering phase 2 clinical trials.” It means that there was an expectation for’K Bio’ along with the so-called’K Prevention’. ‘K-Bio’ is close to the vision of developing therapeutic agents in Korea and exporting them. However, health experts believe that vaccines are far more effective in ending infectious diseases than treatments. In addition, one health policy expert of the Democratic Party said, “Vaccines are preventive measures, but because the treatment is for already infected patients, there is a problem that social costs such as securing medical staff and hospital beds continue to be put in.” In other words, it is pointed out that in order to stop the spread of Corona 19 and reduce painful social distancing, the government should have made clearer the priority goal of securing vaccines.
③ It resembles the mask Daeran, but it may hurt more.
This vaccine controversy reminds me of the’mask uprising’ in February. At the time, President Moon strongly rebuked the staff, saying,’What if I do not prepare properly and inform the people that it is possible to purchase it?’ Securing vaccines is similar. A key official at the Blue House said, “(After the presidential order), it led to securing 44 million vaccines. There is still more (the amount to be contracted), and we are working hard to speed up and secure more,” he said. The president rebuked it, so it seems to have hurried to take care of it, but the appearance that it turns out that there was a problem in prediction and judgment is not very different from ten months ago. Moreover, the lack of masks was able to soothe the confusion in a short period of time with the government’s active production encouraging, but it is not an area in which vaccines can be easily achieved. This is where the Blue House should think more painfully. By Lee Wan and Choi Ha-yan, staff reporter [email protected]