Government officials, including Chung Eun-kyung (far left), head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), are announcing a comprehensive plan for COVID-19 vaccination at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the afternoon of the 28th. Osong = Yonhap News
The government announced on the 28th a comprehensive plan for coronavirus vaccination with the aim of starting vaccination for 750,000 people, including workers in the corona 19 treatment hospital in the metropolitan area and hospitalized and workers in nursing hospitals next month. The government established a large principle of minimizing deaths, and sequentially designated the targets and timing of vaccinations. Accordingly, the vaccination is given to the elderly over 65 years old in the second quarter and adults (18 to 64 years old) in the third quarter, and children and adolescents are excluded from the vaccination. Corona 19 is generally asymptomatic or mild for younger people, whereas for the elderly, the severity rate is greatly increased, and there is a clear difference in risk by generation, so it can be seen as a reasonable option. It is a reasonable decision from a public health point of view to include not only homeless people but also migrants and non-registered foreigners as immunization targets.
As the introduction of the vaccine was slightly delayed than in major countries, the government suffered from measles, so the government should thoroughly prepare to reduce trial and error that may occur during the vaccination process. The thing to keep in mind is that it is safety rather than speed. Although no serious side effects were reported in the countries where vaccination was initiated, the vaccine was developed for a very short period of time, and as many mutations have occurred, it is not known what will happen in the future. Close information exchange should minimize safety variables that may arise during the vaccination process. In particular, in the case of Pfizer vaccine, which is essential for cryogenic storage and distribution, we hope that we will do our best to establish a tight transportation system as storage problems have occurred in foreign countries.
The government has suggested that the first vaccination for all populations is completed by September and the goal is to achieve collective immunity by November. Although the government’s transparent disclosure and distribution of vaccine-related information is a prerequisite for achieving collective immunity, a high participation rate of the public is essential. It is said that the number of people who are willing to get the vaccine has recently declined due to the loss of confidence due to the influenza vaccine distribution accident last year and reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine. However, there is no way to quickly escape the corona pandemic situation other than getting the currently developed vaccine. It is important to keep in mind that active participation in vaccination protects yourself and the community.
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