Consideration of Administering Second Dose of COVID Vaccine Using First Dose Supply

AZ Vaccine Second Dose Interval May Change to 12 Weeks
Vaccination Decision for Those Aged 65 and Over to Be Announced Tomorrow

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the approval for AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine administration to the elderly is imminent, a plan to convert the second dose vaccine supply into first dose supply is being considered to accelerate vaccination.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) plans to hold a Vaccination Expert Committee meeting at 3 p.m. on the 10th to discuss whether to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to those aged 65 and older. The results of the discussion are expected to be announced the following morning on the 11th.

Last month, the government excluded the elderly from the target group for the AstraZeneca vaccine, citing insufficient clinical studies on the elderly despite similar levels of immune response being induced in this group. At that time, countries such as Germany and France also limited the vaccine's use by age for the same reason.

However, following the UK Public Health England (PHE) announcement on the 1st that the AstraZeneca vaccine showed preventive effects 3 to 4 weeks after the first dose in those aged 80 and above, research results on the vaccine's effectiveness in the elderly have been continuously emerging. Consequently, countries that had restricted vaccination by age are gradually removing or raising age limits. Since the government's initial exclusion of the elderly was based on caution due to lack of clinical data, it is expected that the age restrictions will be lifted or raised.

If the Vaccination Expert Committee decides to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to the elderly, vaccinations for this group are expected to begin in the second quarter. The target population includes approximately 380,000 elderly residents in long-term care hospitals and facilities, and about 8.2 million general elderly individuals.

At the meeting, a plan to convert second dose vaccine supplies into first dose supplies to expedite vaccination is also expected to be discussed. Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Blue House, stated, "Once the second dose supply is confirmed, there is a consensus within the government to enable as many citizens as possible to be vaccinated quickly, considering the overall vaccine supply and inventory situation," adding, "The expert committee will decide on measures to achieve this."

If the second dose supply is advanced for vaccination, there is also a possibility that the interval between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, currently 8 weeks, could be extended to 12 weeks to ensure smooth vaccine supply.

This approach is analyzed as a way to maintain compliance with the vaccination intervals recommended by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (4 to 12 weeks) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (8 to 12 weeks), while also enhancing vaccine effectiveness. A research team from Oxford University in the UK reported that the preventive effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine was 59.9% when the interval between doses was 6 to 8 weeks, but increased to 82.4% with a 12-week interval.

Meanwhile, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases recorded 452 on the day, marking the second consecutive day with cases in the 400s. Vaccinations increased by 60,662 doses, bringing the total number of completed vaccinations to 446,941.

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