Corona 19 Vaccination Response Promotion Director Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is announcing the’Corona 19 February-March vaccination plan’ at a regular briefing on Corona 19 response held at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Cheongju, Chungbuk on the afternoon of the 15th. Cheongju = Yonhap News
The government has decided to exclude “elderly people 65 years of age or older in nursing homes” from the targets of AstraZeneca’s new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccination, which will begin at the end of this month. This is the result of experts who participated in the discussion prioritizing’reliability for vaccination’ over’the urgency of vaccination’. Apart from scientific facts, it is judged that vaccination should have a national consensus. From the 26th, about 272,000 residents and workers under the age of 65 in nursing hospitals and nursing facilities nationwide have received the AstraZeneca Corona 19 vaccine for the first time.
On the 15th, the Corona 19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced the’Corona 19 Vaccination February-March Implementation Plan’. The promotion team announced that it plans to start vaccination first to residents and workers under the age of 65 in nursing hospitals and facilities, and to confirm the vaccination plan after confirming additional information on efficacy at the end of March for those over 65.
The key issue was also the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the elderly over 65 years old. At the meeting of the’Corona 19 Vaccine Expert Advisory Group’ (8th) and the’Vaccination Specialist Committee’ (11th) meetings previously held, opinions were divided on this issue. Eun-kyung Chung (Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) said, “Since the safety, immunogenicity, severe prevention and death reduction effects have been confirmed, the opinion that the vaccination should be urgently required and that the vaccination should be expanded in stages after checking additional clinical trial data for evidence-based policy decisions. Opinions were presented together,” he said. “As a result of the vote of the final expert committee, 10 out of 13 attending members agreed to vaccination after confirming the evidence.” It was also considered that the efficacy controversy may lower the vaccine’s acceptability and thus lower the vaccination rate.
According to the original plan, about 650,000 people are eligible for vaccination at nursing hospitals and facilities. Of these, 376,000 people aged 65 or older will be excluded from the first vaccination this month. General Manager Jung said that the vaccination period for them will be “currently in the second quarter,” and said to the UK, which had already begun vaccination for the elderly, including those aged 70 and over, “we requested to share the data on the effects of vaccination after vaccination.” The promotion team plans to secure actual vaccination data for the elderly in the UK and interim results of additional clinical trials currently in progress in the United States, including elderly people, at the end of March. Based on this, it is going to re-evaluate whether or not to be vaccinated over the age of 65. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also said it had requested AstraZeneca to submit US clinical trial analysis data by the end of April.
Although the majority of residents of nursing hospitals and facilities are 65 years of age or older, the promotion team maintained this place as a priority target, considering the fact that it is a facility where a large number of COVID-19 infections occurred, and that there are many chronic diseases that are susceptible to infection. Director Jung also explained that “infection is more often introduced into nursing hospitals or facilities through workers living in the local community than those who have been hospitalized for a long time.” did.
There are still various opinions among experts on the government’s decision. Eun-mi Cheon, a professor of respiratory medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, said, “It seems to have taken into account the possibility of being wasted and distrust of the vaccine after promoting vaccination over 65 years of age.” “First of all, even under the age of 65 in a nursing hospital, the priority is to promote vaccination quickly.” Said.
However, as the corona19 epidemic has not seldom subsided and a number of infections have recently occurred in medical institutions, there is a view that if infected, it is necessary to actively protect 65 years of age or older, who are at high risk. Won-Seok Choi, a professor of infectious medicine at Korea University Ansan Hospital, said, “The period when the vaccine is not available to the elderly should not be prolonged. There is” he emphasized.
Previously, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety decided to state in the precautions for using the AstraZeneca vaccine that’the use for the elderly over the age of 65 should be carefully decided.’ Germany, France, and Belgium have restricted vaccination for the elderly, while the UK and Mexico are targeting the elderly. The World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group recommended that adults 18 years of age and older use it without restrictions.
Lim So-hyung reporter [email protected]
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