"Notification for Vaccine Recipients"... A Preview of the Vaccine Site, How Was It?

Simulation Drill for Vaccination at Central Vaccination Center on the 9th
'Goal of 50 Vaccinations per 30 Minutes'... Equivalent to 3 Million People Every 6 Weeks Nationwide

Vaccination is 'Instant'... Waiting Time 'Over 15 Minutes'
'Rapid Response Team' Dispatched Immediately Upon Adverse Reactions

On the afternoon of the 9th, medical staff administered vaccines to training participants during a mock vaccination drill held at the Comprehensive Cancer Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] "Mr./Ms. OOO, you are notified as a participant in the COVID-19 vaccine simulation vaccination."

At 2 p.m. on the 9th, at the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, people who received text messages informing them that they were participants in a joint simulation training for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination gathered one by one, and the training began that day. The participants in this training included staff from the National Medical Center and employees from Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Chosun University Hospital, and Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital, where regional vaccination centers are planned to be established in the future, who joined for education and participation. The training goal was to complete vaccination for 50 people within 30 minutes by 2:30 p.m.

Preparation for vaccination started from the freezer where the vaccines were stored. The first step in preparation was opening the freezer door and moving the vaccines to the refrigerator for thawing. A National Medical Center official explained that during the actual vaccination phase, "Since refrigeration (thawing) takes time, the vaccines will be taken out and moved to the refrigerator before leaving work."

At 2 p.m., staff went out to welcome the vaccination participants. The participants received necklaces with number tags in order and moved to the waiting area in Building F. Upon arrival at the waiting area, registration and medical questionnaires for the vaccination participants were completed. It took about 3 minutes for participants numbered up to 8 to register. Then, after waiting in the waiting area, participants moved to the vaccination area when it was their turn.

On the 9th, at the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, a preparation nurse is using a clean bench to aliquot and prepare injections during a COVID-19 vaccine inoculation drill. Photo by Joint Press Corps

After moving to the vaccination and observation area, a preliminary examination was conducted. After checking for any discomfort, participants moved back to the vaccination area for vaccination. The vaccination took about 3 minutes. In this way, a total of 51 people were vaccinated, taking approximately 45 minutes. Oh Myung-don, head of the Central Vaccination Center, said, "We planned for 600 people per day per module, with 50 people every 30 minutes," and added, "It was a bit delayed, but it seems to be because people came from outside and there were filming-related matters."

When this modular structure operates normally, considering the government's plan to establish 250 vaccination centers, about 4.5 million people can be vaccinated per month. However, since the Pfizer vaccine requires two doses, the final vaccination capacity is structured to cover 3 million people every 6 weeks, Oh added.

However, no matter how fast the vaccination proceeds, participants cannot leave immediately. To check for any adverse reactions, vaccination participants must wait in the observation room for at least 15 minutes. If classified as a 'caution group' due to allergies or other reasons, they must wait for more than 30 minutes.

On the afternoon of the 9th, at the Comprehensive Cancer Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, medical staff moved a participant who showed adverse reactions after vaccination to an ambulance after providing emergency treatment during a vaccine inoculation drill. Photo by Joint Press Corps

During the simulation training that day, response training for adverse reactions was also conducted. A female vaccination participant waiting in the observation room after vaccination complained of breathing difficulties, and an urgent announcement of "Rapid Response Team!" was made. Four medical staff rushed to the scene, moved the patient to the adjacent emergency treatment area, and checked blood pressure and breathing. "Please contact the emergency room for anaphylaxis!" was shouted again, and within 5 minutes, the participant was transported by ambulance to the emergency room of the National Medical Center next to the vaccination center.

Another patient who complained of dizziness was moved to the intensive observation room, lay down on a bed, and waited for stabilization. A vaccination center official explained, "Temporary dizziness may occur," and added, "Lying down for about 2-3 minutes will help stabilize."

In the evaluation meeting after the training, the shortage of observation rooms was a major issue. In previous simulation trainings, 40 people were vaccinated per session, and the 34 seats in the general observation area were sufficient, but in this training, the number of vaccinated people increased to 50 per session, causing a shortage of observation rooms. Regarding this, Ko Im-seok, deputy director of the National Medical Center, said, "We are discussing plans to reduce the intensive observation rooms and increase the general observation rooms to 44 seats, and if necessary, create additional rooms outside the building."

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