The Launch of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Task Force... Priority Vaccination for High-Risk Medical Staff

Vaccination Plan to Be Finalized Within This Month

On the 6th (local time) in Veghel, Netherlands, a healthcare worker is receiving the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (hereinafter referred to as the Promotion Team) was launched on the 8th. This organization is responsible for all matters related to COVID-19 vaccination, including detailed vaccination schedules starting next month, procurement, storage and distribution, and post-vaccination side effect management. Since several challenges are expected until herd immunity is achieved by the end of this year, the team plans to pool the efforts of all related ministries and experts.

According to the Prime Minister’s directive issued on the same day, the Promotion Team is led by Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), and operates with dispatched officials and employees from related ministries and public institutions, including staff from the Disease Control Agency. A council composed of senior officials (level 1) from central administrative ministries has been established to enable swift inter-ministerial cooperation, and an advisory group consisting of experts in clinical and pharmaceutical fields can also be formed separately.

The government plans to finalize a detailed vaccination plan within this month, including selecting priority vaccination groups. The first to be vaccinated will be users and workers of facilities with high infection risk, such as nursing hospitals, and high-risk medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients. This group is estimated to number around one million. Next, elderly people aged 65 and over, staff at educational and childcare facilities for children and adolescents, epidemiological investigators, and other first responders are likely to be vaccinated first. Police officers, firefighters, military personnel, and adults with chronic diseases such as diabetes will also be prioritized based on risk assessment. Currently, due to lack of clinical data, children under 18 are likely to be excluded from the vaccination target group.

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and head of the COVID-19 vaccination response task force, is attending and responding to urgent questions on the current status of COVID-19 prevention measures and vaccine supply at the National Assembly on the 8th.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require more preparation than existing vaccines due to their demanding storage and distribution conditions. They must be handled at ultra-low temperatures and administered twice at set intervals. To this end, management systems overseeing vaccine supply and usage, as well as pre-registration and vaccination certificate systems, are being prepared. Up to 250 vaccination centers will be established, mainly utilizing national and public hospitals or public facilities. Considerations include vaccine storage, vaccination flow, and staffing.

Despite thorough preparations, authorities anticipate that increasing the actual vaccination rate will be challenging. According to Oxford University data, in the UK, which started vaccinations first, only 1.91 people per 100 (as of the 3rd) have been vaccinated, and the US stands at 1.79 per 100. Among countries that have started vaccinations, the average is still only 0.22 per 100. Israel (18.4) and the UAE (8.98) are relatively faster. The vaccines supplied first were Pfizer and Moderna, but since they have not yet been widely distributed, vaccinations are being conducted on a limited basis.

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