Controversy over the pros and cons of AZ vaccine vaccination for the elderly… Korea Disease Administration, 16th vaccination target confirmed

Vaccination for the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) will begin on the 26th, but the specific target for vaccination has not been confirmed yet.

This is because the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a “careful decision” to the elderly aged 65 and over, who were controversial about the vaccination effect while permitting the domestic use of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine.

In particular, there is also a reaction from the medical community called’avoidance of responsibility’ over the decision of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to determine the benefit of vaccination according to the condition of the vaccination target.

Although the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided to make the final decision, the controversy is expected to continue as the judgment on the vaccination of the elderly with the AstraZeneca vaccine is different within the medical community.

According to the quarantine authorities on the 12th, the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention will announce the detailed implementation plan for vaccination in February and March on the 16th. The Agency for Disease Control and Prevention held an advisory body, the Vaccination Specialist Committee the day before, to hear expert opinions, and based on this, it plans to determine whether to vaccinate the elderly with AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Agency for Disease Control and Prevention announced a plan to complete the vaccination to 830,000 people, including 50,000 medical staff who treat Corona 19 patients and 780,000 people in nursing hospitals and nursing facilities through the vaccination site earlier this month.

Medical staff were caught in Pfizer vaccine, and those in nursing hospitals and nursing facilities received AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, if the scope of use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is adjusted, the previous vaccination targets and vaccination targets will inevitably be modified.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has previously decided to authorize the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but in the’Precautions for Use’ section,’The use of the vaccine should be carefully determined for the elderly over 65′.

Although the safety of the vaccine has been sufficiently proven, it is difficult to accurately determine the preventive effect due to the lack of participants in the elderly clinical trials, so the intention is that doctors should carefully examine the condition of the person receiving the vaccine at the site and determine the vaccination until additional data are available.

This is similar to the actions some countries are taking.

AstraZeneca vaccine is a product that has received conditional approval or urgent use approval in 50 countries such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the UK, but Germany and France recommended vaccination only for those under the age of 65, and Belgium only for under 55 years of age. Advised.

Switzerland and South Africa (South Africa) have suspended approval for the AstraZeneca vaccine itself.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group recommended on the 10th (local time) that “the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used by people over the age of 65, given the totality of available evidence.”

In this situation, it is difficult to predict what conclusions the Agency for Disease Control and the Vaccination Specialized Committee composed of infectious disease experts will conclude.

Other countries’ evaluation of the AstraZeneca vaccine is also important, but in Korea, vaccines that have already proven safety are difficult to be rejected as there are limited vaccines to be introduced in the first quarter and’minimization of death’ is one of the main goals of vaccination.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is the ‘1 vaccine’ to be used in Korea, and 750,000 out of the 10 million people contracted by the government with AstraZeneca will be in stock at the domestic distribution centers in turn from the 24th.

As of now, the vaccine that can be used in the first quarter is about 60,000 Pfizer vaccines that will be supplied by AstraZeneca, an international project for joint purchase and distribution of vaccines, with AstraZeneca, which is about 60,000 people.

Apart from the government review, controversy is ongoing in the medical community over the vaccination of the elderly.

The Korean Medical Association (Medical Association) criticized the decision to make vaccinations for senior citizens judged by on-site doctors as’avoiding responsibility’ and commented that it is realistic to withhold vaccinations over the age of 65 until additional clinical information is available in two months. Worked.

Chairman of the Medical Association, Choi, argues, “AstraZeneca vaccine should not be given to the elderly over the age of 65.”

On the other hand, Nam Jae-hwan, a professor at the Catholic University’s Department of Medical Life Science, attended a special briefing on vaccines at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 9th and emphasized that the AstraZeneca vaccine is also a sufficiently effective vaccine, considering its “prevention of seriousness” function.

“I would recommend getting AstraZeneca vaccine even to my mother in her 80s,” he said. “It is the best way to protect yourself and your family if you get any vaccines when the order comes back.”

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