Jung Sye-kyun Discusses Expanding AZ Vaccine Eligibility to '65 and Older'

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking while presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting for COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 10th. March 10, 2021. Photo by Yonhap News

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 10th, "We will hold a Vaccination Expert Committee meeting to discuss whether to expand AstraZeneca vaccine administration to seniors aged 65 and older," adding, "The government is doing its utmost to ensure that as many citizens as possible receive the vaccine in the first half of the year."

Prime Minister Chung made these remarks while presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Seoul that morning. The results of the discussion will be announced the following morning on the 11th. Recently, research results from countries such as the United Kingdom have shown that the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective for the elderly, and European countries are increasingly allowing vaccination for seniors. Accordingly, the government is expected to expand the AstraZeneca vaccine administration to those aged 65 and older.

Prime Minister Chung also emphasized, "The core of the countermeasures against the 4th wave of COVID-19 is ultimately the expansion of proactive testing," and stressed, "We must fully utilize the testing capacity, which has increased to a maximum of 500,000 tests per day." He added, "It is an important task to quickly conduct epidemiological investigations to block further spread and proactively identify hidden sources of infection that could trigger the 4th wave," expressing concern that "new cluster infections have recently occurred in workplaces employing foreigners, indoor sports facilities, and daycare centers, raising concerns about a possible resurgence at any time."

He then urged the quarantine authorities, saying, "If you think a place is vulnerable to infection, please actively conduct proactive testing," and requested, "Please deeply consider ways to utilize new testing methods."

Regarding the recent incident in Gyeonggi, Jeonbuk, Ulsan, and other regions where hundreds of doses of vaccines stored in some nursing facilities were discarded due to poor management, Prime Minister Chung said, "I deeply regret that such an accident occurred despite multiple simulation drills and inspections prepared for various situations," emphasizing, "Now is a time when every drop of vaccine is desperately needed. Vaccine wastage due to minor negligence must never happen." He continued, "I ask the quarantine authorities to thoroughly analyze the cause of this incident, re-examine overall vaccine management, and take necessary measures to prevent similar cases from recurring."

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