First Global Attempt to Expand 'K-Jusagi' Vaccination Population...Concerns Arise On Site (Comprehensive)

Minimizing Waste with Low Dead Space Syringes... Calls to Reduce Healthcare Workers' Burden

On the morning of the 27th, when Pfizer vaccine administration began for medical staff treating COVID-19 patients, medical personnel are preparing doses of the Pfizer vaccine into syringes at the sterile workstation (clean bench) inside the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] A challenge to increase the number of COVID-19 vaccine recipients by 1 to 2 people per vial using a special "low dead space (LDS)" syringe developed by a domestic company is being attempted for the first time in South Korea. Currently, LDS syringes are used for the initial doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, and depending on the skill level of nurses, it is expected to minimize wastage and maximize the number of vaccinations.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 28th, it is now permitted to increase the number of vaccine recipients per vial by 1 to 2 people on-site in South Korea. By utilizing LDS syringes to minimize vaccine wastage, the number of recipients per vial of the Pfizer vaccine can increase from 6 to 7, and for the AstraZeneca vaccine, from 10 to 11-12.

Jung Kyung-sil, head of the Vaccination Management Division of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Task Force, said at a briefing the day before, "Depending on the skill level of the vaccination staff, it may be possible to get less than 6 doses or more than 6 doses from one vial of the Pfizer vaccine," adding, "This is intended to use the residual amount to offset and reduce wastage."

Jung also explained, "However, the prescribed single dose must be strictly followed, and it is absolutely prohibited to collect and use leftover amounts from multiple vials," adding, "Using leftover doses should be judged based on the on-site situation, and leftover dose vaccination itself is not mandatory." The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Task Force announced on the 27th that it distributed these guidelines on "Vaccination Implementation Methods" nationwide.

The LDS syringe is a special syringe designed to have almost no space between the piston and the needle. Using this syringe reduces wastage and increases the number of doses per vial. Currently, the number of doses per vial is 6 for the Pfizer vaccine and 10 for AstraZeneca.

On the morning of the 26th, medical staff at Geumcheon-gu Public Health Center in Seoul are filling syringes with the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine for COVID-19. Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to authorities, the Pfizer vaccine is made by mixing 0.45 ml of concentrate with 1.8 ml of saline, and each person is vaccinated with 0.3 ml. The AstraZeneca vaccine contains more than 5 ml per vial, and each person receives 0.5 ml. If the number of doses per Pfizer vial increases from 6 to 7, the number of vaccinated individuals can increase arithmetically by 16.7%. If AstraZeneca doses increase from 10 to 11-12, the number of vaccinated individuals can increase by 10-20%.

Authorities have distributed 670,000 LDS syringes to vaccination centers so far. Domestic manufacturers Doowon Meditech and Shina Yanghaeng supplied them, and Poonglim Pharmatech donated 127,000 syringes to the government ahead of exports to the United States.

However, opinions among experts are divided. Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center said, "Sufficient verification of minimizing residual amounts and expanding the number of vaccinations should have been conducted first," adding, "If wastage is minimized excessively, there is a risk that the vaccine dose drawn may be insufficient, reducing efficacy."

Professor Eom also said, "Since humans extract the vaccine from the syringe, some errors can occur," adding, "If the number of doses per vial is increased, it is difficult to accurately judge the last dose, and shortages may occur."

Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital expressed concern, saying, "It is problematic that the policy on handling residual amounts was urgently decided without expert review," and added, "The government’s announcement that the number of doses may vary depending on nurses' skill levels could place a burden on medical sites."

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