Gwangju City, County, and Police Fully Mobilized "Protect the COVID-19 Vaccine"

Bukgu Health Center Transport and Storage Integrated Drill 'Seamless' Progress

From Vaccine Box Transport Vehicle to Refrigerated Storage in 1 Minute 'OK'

On the afternoon of the 19th, around 2 PM, in front of Buk-gu Health Center in Gwangju Metropolitan City, officials are unloading boxes containing COVID-19 vaccines from a transport vehicle, escorted by military personnel, during an integrated simulation drill for vaccine transportation and storage.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] On the 19th, when the integrated simulation training for COVID-19 vaccine transportation and storage was underway, tension filled the area near Buk-gu Public Health Center in Gwangju Metropolitan City before the full-scale training began.

Around 1:30 PM, the police controlled the surrounding roads, and soldiers in military uniforms moved in an orderly manner.

About five or six police officers set up police lines on the road behind the health center, and shortly after, a vaccine transport vehicle arrived escorted by police and military units.

The soldiers and police surveyed the surroundings, and as soon as the official unloaded the box containing the vaccines from the vehicle, they quickly headed toward the health center without delay.

Inside the health center, it was also busy at this time. They checked to ensure there were no obstacles along the vaccine delivery route and meticulously inspected whether the refrigerator temperature was maintained at 2~8℃, the storage temperature for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

It took less than a minute from the vaccine being unloaded from the vehicle and escorted by police and military to being placed inside the storage refrigerator located within the health center.

On the afternoon of the 19th at around 2 PM, a staff member of the Gwangju Buk-gu Health Center, who received the COVID-19 vaccine during the integrated simulation training for vaccine transportation and storage, is inspecting it for any abnormalities before storage.

The storage refrigerator shows a green light on the front LCD screen when the temperature is appropriate. Although the refrigerator door was opened and closed to place the vaccine inside, the red light did not come on, and the green light was maintained.

Although it was a simulation training, it was conducted more realistically than an actual situation.

Eventually, a police officer raised a radio and reported to the command, “Vaccine transportation completed without any issues,” marking the conclusion of the training involving the military, police, and Gwangju City officials.

A Gwangju City official who participated in this simulation training said, “We will review the overall aspects of this simulation training to identify any shortcomings and make improvements,” adding, “We will ensure that the vaccination proceeds safely and smoothly.”

The COVID-19 vaccination is scheduled to begin as early as the 26th. It will first target inpatients and residents, as well as workers under the age of 65, at nursing hospitals and facilities.

Next month, the first responders for COVID-19, including 119 paramedics, epidemiological investigators, quarantine officers, specimen collectors, testers, transporters, and laboratory personnel, are also scheduled to be vaccinated.

Hospital workers treating COVID-19 patients are also planned to begin vaccination next month. However, this may be somewhat flexible depending on the supply situation of the Pfizer vaccine.

Gwangju City has formed a vaccination implementation promotion team, a regional consultative body, and a rapid response team for adverse reaction management involving both public and private sectors to ensure smooth vaccination. They are also discussing ways to secure medical personnel with the regional consultative body and others.

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