Vaccines are given from the frontline medical staff… Started in February, completed in September

The first inoculation of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine in Korea is among the medical staff who treat corona patients in the metropolitan area. 50,000 people, including doctors and nurses running at the forefront of quarantine next month, were selected for the first vaccination. Subsequently, the target was expanded to first responders such as nursing hospitals and facilities for the elderly, medical staff in large hospitals, epidemiological investigators, etc. All 1.3 million people will complete the vaccination within March.

On the 28th, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced a plan to implement vaccinations containing these details. Disease Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyung said, “To minimize the deaths and block the spread of local communities, we are planning to implement the corona 19 vaccinations in order from February, aiming to form collective immunity by November.”

The government has prioritized vaccinations in consideration of ▶ serious risk of progression in case of corona infection ▶ maintenance of medical and quarantine systems ▶ considering the characteristics of corona transmission.

Accordingly, about 50,000 medical staff who will receive the vaccine for the first time next month are hospitals dedicated to bases, hospitals dedicated to infectious diseases, hospitals operating severely ill patients, and living treatment centers. There are 489,900 doctors, 9900 doctors, 29,200 nurses, and 9800 other personnel. A specific list will be confirmed within this month. Considering that this is the first vaccination in Korea, medical staff in the metropolitan area will be vaccinated at the central vaccination center in the National Medical Center (Central Infectious Diseases Hospital), and then local medical staff will receive the vaccination at the three vaccination centers in Jungbu, Honam and Yeongnam. In order to minimize the corona response gap, vaccines are delivered to hospitals dedicated to infectious diseases, and in-house vaccinations are performed simultaneously.

Next month, 750,000 nursing hospitals, nursing facilities, mental care and rehabilitation facilities residents and workers will also be vaccinated. Nursing hospitals with doctors plan to inoculate themselves at the facility, and at the nursing facility, one doctor and two nurses form a team to visit and inoculate the subject.

From mid-March, 500,000 first responders such as epidemiological investigators, quarantine officers, and 119 emergency personnel, as well as medical staff in high-risk hospitals such as general hospitals and advanced general hospitals with many seriously ill patients, will be vaccinated at vaccination centers and affiliated hospitals. When about 1.3 million people finish vaccination by the first quarter, in May, citizens over 65 years old, residents and workers of vulnerable facilities such as home-based facilities for the elderly (day care centers, etc.), residence and use facilities for the disabled, and pharmacy health care workers who were excluded in the first quarter. Inoculation starts at 8.5 million people. 500,000 residents and workers in residential facilities for the severely handicapped will also receive the vaccine from May. Starting in July, the scope of vaccination for all citizens will be expanded, starting with essential personnel such as adult chronically ill patients, firefighting and police, and training and childcare facilities workers. General citizens under the age of 64 start vaccination within the third quarter (July to September). In this way, the authorities said that they will finish the first vaccination for all citizens by September and form collective immunity to 70% of the people before the influenza (flu) outbreak.

Children, adolescents, and pregnant women were excluded from the immunization target, and plans to consider additional immunizations as soon as clinical results are available. If you refuse to receive vaccination because you do not want it, it will be pushed to the last place. If urgent departure is necessary for essential public affairs or important economic activities, the authorities will provide vaccinations, but will strictly examine the possibility of misuse and prepare countermeasures, the authorities said.

The first vaccine that will be hit by 50,000 corona-dedicated medical staff is likely to be Pfizer’s vaccine, which comes through’CoVax Facility’, a multinational vaccine supply association. At the beginning, Prime Minister Chung Sye-gyun mentioned the possibility that 50,000 of the 10 million contracted with Kovacs will come first, and according to the government, the vaccine was confirmed as Pfizer.

The Agency for Disease Control and Prevention said, “The vaccine to be introduced from the first quarter through COVAX is Pfizer and AstraZeneca.” “The amount and timing of the incoming vaccine will be confirmed soon.” Authorities are currently under review for Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and considering the date of application, AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be approved a little earlier than Pfizer. The authorities announced that they would consider introducing a vaccine through special imports if the vaccine came in through COVAX before the individual vaccine was approved. In addition to the supply of Kovacs, AstraZeneca in the first quarter, Janssen and Modena in the second quarter, and Pfizer in the third quarter will be sequentially entered through contracts with individual pharmaceutical companies. Vaccination is free and individuals cannot choose the vaccine.

Vaccines manufactured at domestic and overseas factories are delivered to private medical institutions or vaccination centers through distribution centers and refrigerated and frozen trucks. The government said, “We will establish an Internet of Things (IoT)-based integrated control center for the entire process of vaccine delivery and storage, where maintenance of the cold chain is the key, to maintain temperature and track delivery locations in real time.” Pfizer and Modena are planning to use large indoor gymnasiums and large auditoriums to inoculate at 250 vaccination centers equipped with cryogenic freezers in cities, counties, and districts. AstraZeneca and Janssen will be hit at 10,000 private medical institutions that have previously been vaccinated against the flu.

The government said, “First, local governments will form a consultative body with the local medical community to secure them, but the central government will also support them according to the supply and demand situation.” It plans to secure about 6,000 people in vaccination centers and 25,000 people in medical institutions. In order to reduce trial and error when introducing a vaccine, mock training is conducted in the first week of next month.

The corona-exclusive vaccination system will be provided, and related information will be provided from next month, and a function will be added so that advance reservations are possible from March. From April, it is planned to inform the subjects of the vaccination time and place in advance. Vaccination certificate is issued to the inoculated person. In the event of an adverse reaction, the government announced that the state would support medical expenses or medical care expenses according to the vaccination damage compensation system.

Commissioner Eun-kyung Jung urged, “Please participate in vaccinations to restore the daily life that everyone has been hoping for,” and said, “Even if vaccination begins, you must follow quarantine rules such as wearing a mask and keeping distance until group immunity is formed.” did.
Reporter Hwang Soo-yeon [email protected]