94% of Initial COVID Vaccine Group Agree... Starting from the 26th

President Moon Jae-in is inspecting the production line and examining syringes at Punglim Pharmatech, a facility producing low dead space (LDS) syringes for COVID-19 vaccination, in Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk, on the afternoon of the 18th.

As COVID-19 vaccination approaches, the initially announced 'consent rate of eligible recipients' has reached 93.8%.

Despite controversies over the 'effectiveness of vaccination' with AstraZeneca, the first approved vaccine in Korea, it was expected that there would be a considerable number of refusals. However, in reality, 94 out of 100 eligible individuals chose to get vaccinated.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 20th, among the 366,959 eligible recipients nationwide at nursing hospitals, nursing facilities, mental care and rehabilitation facilities, and COVID-19 treatment hospitals, 93.8% (344,181 people) expressed their intention to receive the vaccine.

At nursing and rehabilitation facilities where the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered, 93.6% of medical staff, residents, and workers agreed to vaccination, while at COVID-19 treatment hospitals where the Pfizer vaccine will be given, 94.6% of medical staff and workers consented.

Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center said, "A consent rate of 93.8% is a high level and fortunate. Many cluster infections have occurred in nursing hospitals, some leading to closures. Experiencing the enormous economic losses when confirmed cases occur has likely heightened awareness."

He also analyzed, "Nursing hospital workers undergo COVID-19 screening every 1 to 2 weeks, which is a painful process, so they are actively inclined toward vaccination as an efficient way to manage infections."

While the consent rate was high among priority groups directly affected by COVID-19, it is uncertain how vaccination rates will change as the scope of vaccination expands in the future.

The government plans to vaccinate people aged 65 and older, users and workers of elderly home care welfare facilities, medical institutions, and pharmacy workers starting in the second quarter, and begin vaccinating adults aged 18 to 64 from the third quarter.

In a recent public opinion survey by Professor Yoo Myung-soon’s team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, 3 out of 10 adults (31.7%) said they would delay or refuse vaccination, indicating that trust in vaccines is not overwhelmingly high.

Given this public sentiment, to raise the national vaccination rate above 80%, it is necessary to manage vaccinations well from the beginning to increase trust.

The first domestic vaccinations will start using the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the initial supply of Pfizer vaccines, obtained through the COVAX Facility (an international vaccine procurement project), will be used for medical staff at COVID-19 treatment hospitals. Novavax, Janssen, and Moderna vaccines will be officially introduced into Korea starting in the second quarter.

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