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| Prime Minister Jeong Se-gyun is looking at a cryogenic freezer to store the corona vaccine at Ilshin Biobase in Dongducheon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 21st. 2021.1.21/News1 © News1 Reporter Kim Myung-seop |
The domestic vaccination of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine will start as early as February. As the timing of vaccination approaches, expectations and concerns cross.
Experts say that efforts such as finding the best vaccination method and optimal storage method are necessary.
Civil society agrees that a democratic and transparent process is necessary because there is a possibility of conflict over the order of vaccination.
Some say that it is necessary to be wary of indiscriminate reporting by the media and to think about the role in the international community.
◇ Government “Vaccination is possible in early February”… Pfizer power
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 4 types of Corona 19 vaccines that the government has signed a purchase contract for 56 million people. Purchase contracts for 46 million people, including AstraZeneca 10 million, Pfizer 10 million, Modena 20 million, Janssen 6 million, have already been signed.
In addition, it decided to secure 10 million people through the COVAX facility, a multinational alliance, and paid 85 billion won in advance in October last year.
There is also a plan to promote pre-purchase for 20 million people through a technology introduction contract between Novavex, a US pharmaceutical company, and SK Bioscience. The total number of vaccines secured in this way is 76 million people.
The vaccination schedule has also been advanced. The government was the first to supply AstraZeneca at the end of February. However, it is known that Kovacs, which decided to supply 20% of the entire population (10 million Koreans) to the participating countries, proposed supplying 50,000 people to Korea in early February.
Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun appeared on MBC radio’Kim Jong-bae’s attention’ on the 20th and said, “It is possible that the initial volume of 10 million contracted with KOVAX facility will arrive in February.” ‘I got a call and answered’I’ll get it’ and I’m preparing,” he said.
Prime Minister Chung explained that the vaccine proposed by Kovacs is for 50,000 people. It is known that Pfizer’s products are the most powerful vaccines to be imported through COVAX.
In an online briefing on the 21st, Park Jong-hyun, the safety communication officer of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, said, “It is highly likely that (vaccines) will come in before the Lunar New Year (February 12).”
◇ Expert “You need to find the best vaccination method through training”
As the vaccination time accelerates, experts emphasize virtual training that is comparable to the actual vaccination. In particular, Pfizer vaccines must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, so careful management is required in the delivery process and at the vaccination site.
That is why some claims that the vaccination should be done in a specific facility, not a general hospital.
Eun-mi Cheon, a professor of respiratory medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, emphasized that “the government should prepare an inoculation center.” Professor Chun argues that the vaccination center should be equipped with a vaccine storage space, a patient waiting space, and an emergency waiting space for inoculations with allergic reactions.
Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious medicine at Korea University, says, “We need to create a standard model such as storage methods and inoculation methods that are suitable for the characteristics of each vaccine.” It explains that it is necessary to model vaccine management and have facilities suitable for standards. Professor Kim believes that this model should also be applied to the medical staff to be vaccinated.
Jeon Byung-yul, a professor at the Graduate School of Medicine at Cha Medical University, insisted, “We need to train for vaccination.” The problem can be minimized by training thousands of people at various facilities such as hospitals and gyms.
◇ Civil society, social confusion… The vaccination process must be transparently disclosed
Civil society emphasizes transparent administration. Among them, it is said that it is important to draw a social consensus on the selection of the preferred candidate.
The government initially regarded nursing hospital facilities and the elderly as priority vaccinations because of the high likelihood of outbreaks of group infection, but recently it is considering medical staff. Prime Minister Jung also said, “It is highly likely that the primary vaccination target is medical staff.”
Civil society is in a position that while acknowledging the necessity of prior vaccination by medical staff, relevant regulations should be closely followed.
Woo Suk-gyun, co-president of the Humanitarian Practitioner Council, said, “It is important to see who will be viewed as medical staff.
CEO Woo says that not only doctors and nurses but also hospital staff are at the forefront of quarantine, so they should be given priority, otherwise equity issues and quarantine risks may arise.
The head of the policy director for the Federation of Health and Medical Organizations also pointed out that “non-regular workers in medical facilities have always been excluded from the priority target for vaccination, but this should not be the case.”
More social consensus is needed to determine the target of vaccination next to the medical staff.
Controversy is likely to arise because there are many things to consider, including senior citizens as well as police officers, firefighters, and workers in the public service sector, such as workers in educational facilities.
CEO Woo said, “In order to reduce confusion and increase public acceptance, the government should hurry to announce priorities and go through the process of public debate based on them.” Currently, the government has not announced specific priorities.
It was suggested that consideration for the vulnerable and priorities from the perspective of the international community need to be considered. “The primary goal of vaccination is to reduce the severity of the vulnerable,” said Jeon, and emphasized consideration for the socially weak.
CEO Woo said, “After vaccinating medical staff first, it is also necessary to consider medical staff from countries that have not secured the Corona 19 vaccine, such as Africa and South America.” Since Korea has secured 76 million people, it is explained that it should be considered so that the vaccine can be used in the third world, rather than securing any more supplies.
There were also voices calling for the role of the media. It is argued that vaccine uselessness and vaccine disbelief should not be promoted by inflating some side effects.