“Astra Vaccine, can the elderly be hit?”… Final decision today

The final approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be decided today (10th). After approval is granted, vaccinations will start sequentially from the 26th.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will hold a final inspection committee in the conference room of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Osong, Chungbuk at 10 am on the 10th, and decide whether to approve the AstraZeneca Corona 19 vaccine item. Results are announced at 2pm on the same day.

The final inspection committee is the last step of the triple expert consultation for the approval review of the corona vaccine and treatment. Prior to this, the final decision on vaccine approval was made based on the results of the verification advisory group and the central pharmacy review committee.

In the previous two consultations, there was the same opinion that approval is recommended under the condition of submitting data for phase 3 clinical trials, but there were mixed opinions on whether or not to be vaccinated over the age of 65. At the meeting of the verification advisory group, many opinions were suggested that vaccination is possible even for citizens over 65 years of age.

However, the Central Pharmacist Review Committee withheld the decision as it recommended further discussion at the Vaccination Committee of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As soon as approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is issued, the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention will hold a vaccination committee and make a final decision regarding vaccination for the elderly aged 65 or older.

When the final approval of AstraZeneca is confirmed, vaccination will begin on the 26th of this month. From the 24th, 750,000 people (1.5 million batches) will be shipped sequentially from SK Bioscience’s factory.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on the 9th that “Vaccines will be delivered to inoculation institutions such as public health centers from the 25th, and vaccinations will start sequentially from the 26th.”

If the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety does not impose an age limit and permits the use of the vaccine, this product is likely to be suitable for the inpatients, residents, and workers in residential facilities for the elderly and mental care and rehabilitation facilities.

According to the’Corona 19 Vaccination Implementation Plan’, previously announced by the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention on the 28th of last month, inoculation will begin in the first quarter of about 77,000 people including nursing hospitals and nursing facility residents.

Medical institutions, such as nursing hospitals, receive vaccinations on their own, and medical staff visits to elderly nursing facilities.

AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored and distributed in a refrigerator (2-8 degrees Celsius), so there is no need to have a separate vaccination system.

After seeing the final decision of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention plans to adjust the vaccination plan by the 19th to determine who is eligible for vaccination.

[김승한 매경닷컴 기자 [email protected]]
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