Seoul City to Implement Vaccine '333 Measures' from 26th... 6.06 Million People to be Vaccinated by October

Full Effort on Triple Management of Post-Vaccination Adverse Reactions Including Pre-Screening, Monitoring, and Emergency Measures for Phase 3 Vaccination Targets and 3-Track Vaccination Methods
First Local Vaccination Center Established at Seongdong-gu Office, Operational in March
22,427 People in Nursing Hospitals and Facilities Receive Phase 1 Vaccination

On the 19th, at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, a COVID-19 vaccine transport vehicle was loaded onto an Air Force aircraft during the 2nd integrated government-wide vaccine distribution drill. Today's drill involves loading vaccine transport vehicles onto military aircraft to transport vaccines in case civilian air transport to island regions is restricted. / February 19, 2021 Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Ahead of the COVID-19 vaccination starting on the 26th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will implement the '333 Measures,' which subdivides vaccination targets and methods into three stages each and manages adverse reactions after vaccination in three layers. Seoul’s first local vaccination center will be set up in the multipurpose auditorium within Seongdong-gu Office and will begin operations from mid-March.

On the 24th, Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, announced at a press briefing on the 'COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Plan' that vaccination for 6.06 million Seoul citizens, accounting for over 70% of the population, will be completed before the influenza season in November. Seo said, "From the 26th, we will begin the grand journey of vaccinating Seoul citizens," adding, "Seoul will continue to firmly operate the S-quarantine 3T system based on Test, Trace, and Treat, and will focus all efforts on ensuring the COVID-19 vaccination proceeds smoothly and stably."

Seoul plans to classify vaccination targets by priority and expand vaccinations sequentially in three stages. The plan considers severity, mortality risk, and community transmission risk, prioritizing medical, quarantine, and essential social function workers. The first-stage vaccination targets 96,000 people, 1.6% of the total target population. This includes 22,615 individuals such as inpatients and residents under 65 years old and staff at 137 nursing hospitals and 277 nursing facilities in Seoul. The first dose is scheduled to be completed by March, and the second dose by April to May.

The second-stage vaccination, covering 1.85 million people or 30.5% of the total target, will take place between April and June. This group includes 1.545 million seniors aged 65 and older, users and staff of elderly home welfare facilities, medical institution and pharmacy workers excluded from the first quarter vaccination targets, people with disabilities, and residents and staff of homeless shelters. From July to November, the third-stage vaccination will be actively conducted for 4.11 million people, 67.8% of the total target. Seoul plans to sequentially expand vaccination targets from adults aged 50 to 64, chronic disease patients such as those with hypertension, military personnel, police, firefighters, social infrastructure workers, education and childcare facility workers, to the general public.

The COVID-19 vaccination methods are divided into three tracks: vaccination centers, entrusted medical institutions, and home visits. Vaccination centers will primarily administer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require ultra-low temperature management. The government operates one central vaccination center at the National Medical Center, and Seoul plans to establish 29 local vaccination centers in large public facilities such as community centers and gymnasiums.

Seoul’s first local vaccination center will be set up in the multipurpose auditorium within Seongdong-gu Office and will start operations from mid-March. Vaccinations will be carried out by entrusting Seoul National University Hospital through an agreement, and a control room will be operated in cooperation with the military and police to manage the vaccination center 24/7. Seoul has already finalized locations for 25 local vaccination centers. Eight additional centers will be installed by March, and the remaining centers will be sequentially established across all 25 autonomous districts by July.

Acting Mayor Seo explained, "While one center per district is the standard, for districts with populations over 500,000?Gangnam, Gangseo, Nowon, and Songpa?one additional center will be installed each to prevent regional bottlenecks," adding, "We will make the first local vaccination center in Seongdong-gu an excellent standard model and use it as a foundation to create customized vaccination centers suited to local conditions."

By July, when the large-scale third-stage vaccination begins, 3,500 entrusted medical institutions will also be secured and operated. Seoul secured 3,151 institutions willing to participate through a demand survey at the end of January and will proceed with the entrustment plan sequentially after on-site inspections starting in March. Entrusted medical institutions are expected to begin operations sequentially.

For cases where home visits are difficult, Seoul has deployed 74 doctors, 173 nurses, and 170 administrative staff to form 41 home vaccination teams across 25 autonomous districts for 'visiting vaccinations.' Acting Mayor Seo explained, "Nursing hospitals with doctors on staff will conduct vaccinations through direct vaccine delivery, while nursing facilities will be visited by health center vaccination teams composed of doctors and nurses or vaccinated through facility-specific doctors."

A triple-layer management plan including pre-examination, monitoring, and emergency measures has been prepared to respond to adverse reactions after vaccination. During the pre-examination stage before vaccination, individuals at risk of anaphylaxis related to allergic reactions will be screened in advance. After vaccination, adverse reactions will be observed and monitored on-site for 15 to 30 minutes.

If adverse reactions occur after returning home and reports are received, emergency measures will be taken immediately by linking with hospitals. Additionally, a 'public-private joint rapid response team' will be operated to conduct swift investigations and responses in case of severe emergencies. Furthermore, a text message notification service will check for adverse reactions three days after vaccination, and platforms such as the Vaccination Helper app will be activated to facilitate easy reporting of adverse reactions.

Meanwhile, Seoul plans to transparently disclose all information related to daily vaccination status, number of vaccinated individuals, vaccination facility status, adverse reaction cases and types, investigation and response results, etc., starting from the vaccination launch on the 26th. The 'COVID-19 Vaccination General Consultation Center' has already begun operating through the 120 Dasan Call Center, with professional nursing staff assigned to enhance the quality of responses. Additional medical personnel such as nurses will be deployed after vaccination intensifies in May.

Acting Mayor Seo emphasized, "COVID-19 vaccination marks a turning point as the first step toward returning to daily life," adding, "For a safe society free from infectious disease risks and to regain our lost daily lives, meetings, and the livelihood economy, the consent, trust, and cooperation of citizens are absolutely essential."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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