Healthy adults, as early as September vaccination… Eun-kyung Jung “Group immunity in November”

It is expected that the timing of the COVID-19 vaccination of healthy adults will be accelerated from November to September as soon as possible.

The central quarantine countermeasures headquarters announced on the 12th that “In view of the fact that most vaccines are given twice, adults aged 19 to 49 are also planning to start vaccinating in the third quarter.” This is the first time that the timing of the corona19 vaccination for healthy generalists other than those who receive priority vaccinations such as medical personnel and the elderly has been announced.

Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Commissioner Chung Eun-gyeong also announced that “we will finish vaccination to the level of group immunity in September,” but recently adjusted the timing of the vaccination, saying, “We will form the level of group immunity in November.” The government believes that if more than 70% of the population is vaccinated, collective immunity will be formed.

In addition to the existing Pfizer Moder and AstraZeneca Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine, the US’ NovaVax purchase contracts for more than 10 million people have entered the countdown. NovaVax is evaluated for its relatively high safety compared to other vaccines.

In addition, the International Vaccine Organization is also notified of an additional contract for 10 million Pfizer vaccines, and it is expected to achieve vaccines for 6 million people soon. As the vaccine efficacy and side effects are not yet perfect, the government intends to minimize the risk in the vaccination process by purchasing various vaccines as much as possible. Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun presided over the Corona 19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Sejong on the same day. I will report it to the people.” The government has contracted for a total of 56 million vaccines so far, and the vaccination will begin in earnest from next month. Each manufacturer includes 10 million Pfizer, 20 million Modena, 10 million AstraZeneca, 6 million Janssen, and 10 million contracted with COVAX facility, a multinational vaccine organization that has not yet officially announced the manufacturer. The vaccine on another platform that Prime Minister Chung is talking about is NovaVax in the United States, and the type of vaccine contracted with Covax Facility, a multinational vaccine organization, was finally confirmed with Pfizer. The amount of NovaVax introduced is at least 10 million people.

NovaVax, which the government plans to secure more, is a vaccine platform that is different from the previously contracted vaccine. Pfizer-Modena is a `mRNA` method that generates antigens in the body through `messenger` that directs cells to make harmless viruses. AstraZeneca and Janssen are a’viral vector’ method that puts viral DNA into another virus and puts it into the human body. This is different from traditional vaccine manufacturing.

On the other hand, NovaVax’s recombinant protein vaccine is a traditional vaccine manufacturing method that synthesizes fragments of the spike protein of the Corona 19 virus and puts it into the body. It is not a genetic material or virus, but a protein fragment, so it can be stored at room temperature at 2-8 degrees Celsius like other vaccines. It means that the safety has been proved, and medical experts say that it is relatively safe even for the elderly with weak immunity.

NovaVax has recently entered a phase 3 clinical trial of a vaccine in the United States and Mexico. Phase 3 clinical trials are still in progress and are expected to end within 1Q, so the introduction period is expected to be after 2Q as early as possible. The advantage of NovaVax vaccine is that SK Bioscience is in charge of consignment development and production (CDMO) in Korea and is undergoing preparation procedures for commercial production. CDMO is the participation of consignees from the development process, which is a step earlier than consignment production (CMO), which simply produces products. For this reason, the industry predicted that it would be more advantageous to secure domestic supplies. As the manufacturing method is different from the four vaccines previously secured by the government, it is expected to compensate for any other vaccine side effects.

The government is planning to announce a new “social distance” adjustment plan on the 16th as the current distancing measures and special quarantine measures will end on the 17th. Sohn Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division, Central Accident Control Headquarters, said in the Corona 19 situation back briefing that day, “We are predicting that we will be able to do a briefing by deciding a new distance adjustment plan on Saturday (16th).

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