AstraZeneca vaccine introduced in February, 560,000 elderly people in nursing homes are hit first

President Moon Jae-in said in his New Year’s address on the 11th, “We will be able to start vaccination next month” regarding the vaccine for novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). “We will ensure that all citizens can receive free vaccination in order of priority.” Revealed. Accordingly, attention is being paid to who will receive the Corona 19 vaccine and when.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 750,000 AstraZeneca Corona 19 vaccines are expected to arrive in Korea for the first time in late February. The first introduction is a product that was commissioned in Korea (SK Bioscience), and 566,000 seniors living in group facilities such as nursing hospitals and nursing homes, workers at high-risk medical institutions, and workers at nursing facilities and home welfare facilities (1033,000 people) Some of them are given first.

Janssen in the second quarter, Modena in May, and Pfizer vaccine in the third quarter. Only AstraZeneca vaccine will be supplied in the third quarter. The rest of the vaccine and the Kovacs facility vaccine must go by Q4 before they are available. As soon as the vaccine arrives in Korea, it is given according to priority. All citizens are fit for free, but they cannot choose the type of vaccine.

According to the corona 19 vaccination implementation plan being established by the government, corona 19 first responders (92,000 people), including 119 first aid workers, the elderly over 65 years old (8359,000 people), and other medical institution workers (362,000 people) Next is the ranking.

Next, adults (age 19-64), high-risk chronic diseases (6027,000 people), moderate adults (5648,000 people), healthy adults aged 50-64 (12525,000 people), police, firefighters, soldiers, etc. Core manpower (745,000 people), other social core manpower dealing with electricity, water, gas, etc. (156,000 people), people living in group facilities other than the elderly (64,000 people), children and youth education and childcare workers (675,000 people) Persons), correctional facility prisoners and staff (20,000).

This ranking was selected in consideration of the risk of infection and serious disease occurrence, maintenance of medical systems and other infrastructure, the risk of transmission to the vulnerable, and the risk of exposure. The U.S. Vaccination Advisory Committee (ACIP) and the UK’s Corona 19 Vaccine Guidelines also place senior citizens, workers, and medical staff living in nursing homes a top priority.

Healthy adults aged 19-49 years (22664,000 people) are not eligible for priority vaccination. It is expected that the vaccination will not be available until November. Vaccination is not recommended for children and adolescents under the age of 18 (8291,000) and pregnant women because there is no clinical test result.

Oh Myung-don, a professor of infectious medicine at Seoul National University Hospital, said, “As the mortality rate increases with age, we generally agree to give priority to vaccination according to the age and age of the elderly 65 years or older.” First, you need to get the AstraZeneca vaccine for Kali.” It is said that a vaccine that can be distributed at room temperature should be inoculated at home.

Some analysts say that the AstraZeneca vaccine has few clinical studies in the elderly over the age of 55. Since the AstraZeneca vaccine comes first, it is suitable for the elderly who are most vulnerable to Corona 19, but there are concerns that the effect is not inferior in the elderly.

“AstraZeneca vaccine also includes clinical results for elderly people,” said Sang-bong Kim, director of the Bio-Pharmaceutical Bureau of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The same goes for the rest of the vaccines that are expected to come in Korea.” Ma Sang-hyuk, vice president of the Korean Vaccine Society (Changwon Fatima Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescents) said, “Most vaccines have a lower antibody formation rate in the elderly. Basically, because the immunity is off. The same goes for AstraZeneca or any vaccine.” In the UK, an 82-year-old was the first to get AstraZeneca vaccine on the 4th.

Although the vaccine has been secured, there are many challenges to overcome before the vaccination proceeds according to the government plan. Disease Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyung said, “We are preparing a plan to complete the first vaccination at the end of the third quarter and finish the second vaccination over a certain period of time.” Logistics and inoculation manpower are key. Prof. Oh of Seoul National University pointed out that a vaccination center is necessary as Modena-Pfizer vaccines that require cryogenic distribution cannot be turned into existing systems. “Not only medical experts, but logistics experts should participate in the discussion. It should be noted that the US mobilized the military.”

The limitations of the vaccine are also pointed out. Vice-Chairman Ma of the Vaccine Society said, “We don’t know how long the neutralizing antibody of the vaccine will last. “If the vaccination interval is widened, there may be a dissonance of vaccination by the second person by the time the antibody of the person who was hit first disappears.” There is also a depressing prospect that it will be difficult to declare’Corona 0’even if you get a vaccine. Kim Jeong-ki, a professor at Korea University College of Medicine, said, “Getting a vaccine does not mean that you will not get 100% of Corona 19. If it is right, even if it is caught, it has the effect of passing by weakly. In the future, we will continue to wear masks and follow the quarantine rules.”
Reporter Esther and Hwang Soo-yeon [email protected]