AstraZeneca Vaccine to Be Administered from Under 65 Years Old... Excluding the Elderly

Vaccination Expert Committee "Decision on Elderly Vaccination After Reviewing Additional Clinical Data"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The first COVID-19 vaccine recipients in South Korea have been changed to inpatients and residents under the age of 65, as well as workers at nursing hospitals and nursing facilities.

Initially, the government planned to prioritize AstraZeneca vaccine administration to those aged 65 and older in nursing hospitals and similar facilities, but due to concerns about the vaccine's efficacy in the elderly, the vaccination priority was shifted to those under 65. With this change in the vaccination plan, it is expected that vaccinations for the elderly will not begin until late March at the earliest.

On the 15th, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced that it will begin administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to approximately 272,000 inpatients, residents, and workers under the age of 65 in elderly group facilities such as nursing hospitals and nursing facilities.

For those aged 65 and older, the vaccination plan will be finalized after reviewing additional clinical data on vaccine efficacy and undergoing deliberation by the Vaccination Expert Committee under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Previously, on the 11th, the KDCA held a meeting of the Vaccination Expert Committee to decide on the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the elderly aged 65 and above. They comprehensively reviewed the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s approval results for the AstraZeneca vaccine, clinical trial results published to date, international recommendations on vaccine use, and expert advisory committee meeting outcomes in the COVID-19 vaccine field.

The Vaccination Expert Committee explained, "To achieve the goal of COVID-19 vaccination, increasing the vaccination rate is crucial. Concerns about vaccine efficacy in the elderly could reduce vaccine acceptance among the public and healthcare workers, thereby lowering vaccination rates. Therefore, for those aged 65 and older, we decided to proceed with vaccination after confirming additional data such as AstraZeneca’s U.S. clinical trial results and effectiveness information from countries like the UK where vaccination has already been conducted."

With the elderly excluded from the initial priority group, the vaccination plan will be completely revised.

For inpatients, residents, and workers at nursing hospitals and nursing facilities under the age of 65, approximately 272,000 people will begin receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine starting on the 26th.

Following this, from March, vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered to 354,000 healthcare workers in high-risk medical institutions and about 78,000 first responders to COVID-19 (including quarantine officers, epidemiological investigators, and testing personnel).

Additionally, Pfizer vaccines introduced through the international vaccine supply organization COVAX Facility will be provided immediately upon arrival between late February and early March through central and regional vaccination centers to vaccinate approximately 55,000 medical staff treating COVID-19 patients.

For the AstraZeneca vaccine, medical institutions such as nursing hospitals and high-risk medical institutions will conduct vaccinations on-site. Nursing facilities will implement visiting vaccinations considering residents with limited mobility, but vaccinations at public health centers are also possible depending on regional circumstances. First responders will be vaccinated at their respective public health centers.

Regarding the Pfizer vaccine provided to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, to minimize gaps in COVID-19 response, the vaccine will be delivered to infectious disease-dedicated hospitals for on-site vaccination. However, to minimize vaccine distribution and wastage, medical institutions with a small number of vaccine recipients will conduct vaccinations at central and regional vaccination centers.

Jeong Eun-kyung, head of the Promotion Team, urged, "Those eligible for vaccination according to the order should actively participate in the vaccination to help form herd immunity."

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