The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) chief Jung Eun-kyung is answering questions from reporters after explaining the potential benefits and risks of using the AstraZeneca vaccine at the Centers for Disease Control in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do on the afternoon of the 11th. Cheongju = Yonhap News
The government decided to resume the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccination, which had been withheld due to controversy over the occurrence of blood clots, from the 12th. However, based on the results of analysis by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), it was decided to exclude those under the age of 30 from the AZ vaccine. The health authorities explained that the age group where rare thrombosis occurred was young, and that this age group judged that the benefit of vaccination was not significant compared to the risk of thrombosis. On the other hand, it is reasonable to decide to resume vaccination for other age groups, as it turns out that the benefits of vaccination are much greater than the risk of vaccination for older people.
According to health officials, 640,000 people under the age of 30 who were excluded from vaccination among those who received the AZ vaccination in the second quarter were 640,000. Those who have higher urgency of vaccination than other occupations, such as elder care workers and elementary school teachers, and considering the fact that other vaccines other than AZ vaccine are not sufficiently secured, it is not known when they will be vaccinated. Considering the side effects that can occur during vaccination, the mistakes of the authorities for not preparing an alternative in advance are inevitably painful. Considering the unstable vaccine supply and demand situation in the world and various variables that may arise in the future, the authorities are urged to come up with meticulous supplementary measures to avoid confusion in the future vaccination schedule.
The concern is that the decision to exclude AZ vaccination under the age of 30 could spread the atmosphere of vaccination rejection in other age groups. If the rate of vaccination is lagging behind that of other countries and the rate of vaccination is lowered, the daily recovery will inevitably be slow. As thrombosis can be prevented from worsening if it is detected early, the government should thoroughly establish a surveillance system for early detection and treatment. Efforts should also be made to secure various vaccines to prevent the spread of vaccine distrust. Even if some side effects have occurred, it is safe to say that the safety of the vaccine has been verified as more than 100 million people in the world have been vaccinated so far. The people also need to be relieved of vague vaccination anxiety.
News directly edited by the Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver.
