Prime Minister Jeong: "A Crucial Moment to Prepare Detailed Plans for COVID-19 Vaccines"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 4th, "The timing for the introduction of the contracted novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) vaccines is gradually being finalized, so now is a critical time to prepare detailed vaccination plans in advance."

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at Seoul City Hall on the same day, Prime Minister Chung stated, "At the end of last year, the government completed contracts for a total of 56 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. This is a sufficient amount for the entire population to receive vaccinations."

However, Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "Although major countries in the United States and Europe have already started vaccinations about three weeks ago, due to insufficient preparation, the vaccination process is not progressing at the expected pace. There are even concerns that a large quantity of vaccines may be discarded due to expiration. Such a situation must never occur in our vaccination program, which is expected to begin as early as next month."

He added, "The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency must prepare meticulously to ensure there are no gaps in the entire process from the moment the vaccines arrive, including delivery, storage, vaccination, and post-management. Please establish a detailed vaccination plan within this month and regularly inform the public about the progress in detail."

Prime Minister Chung also noted, "Tomorrow is 'Sohan,' known as the coldest day of the year, and the use of heating devices is expected to increase. Epidemiological investigations of correctional facilities and elderly care facilities, where large-scale group infections have recently occurred, point to the three Cs?crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined spaces?as the main causes. The use of heating devices is inevitable, and due to the cold weather, ventilation is often neglected."

He continued, "Although the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters established winter ventilation guidelines at the end of November last year, it is uncertain whether these are being properly followed on-site. Please promptly supplement the ventilation guidelines by carefully considering the characteristics of each facility and situation, and strengthen promotion, guidance, and inspection activities to ensure they are practiced in daily life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.