Elderly Aged 65 and Over in Long-Term Care Hospitals and Facilities to Receive Vaccinations This Month... Airline Cabin Crew Also in Q2 (Update)

The second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been changed to 10 weeks after the first dose.

On the morning of the first day of AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccination on the 26th, a vaccine syringe was placed at the Geumcheon-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Vaccinations for 376,000 inpatients and residents aged 65 and older, as well as workers in long-term care hospitals and facilities, will be carried out within this month.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced on the 11th that, following the review by the Vaccination Expert Committee the previous day, they plan to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to the age group of 65 and older.

The Vaccination Expert Committee explained that after reviewing research results from the UK and Scotland, and confirming the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing hospitalization and severe cases among the elderly, vaccination for the elderly is permitted.

The committee also changed the interval between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the existing 8 weeks to 10 weeks.

This decision considered the current supply situation of the AstraZeneca vaccine and clinical trial results indicating increased effectiveness with longer intervals between doses. Accordingly, the second dose reservation date will be changed from 8 weeks to 10 weeks.

The Vaccination Committee included airline crew members, who frequently travel abroad due to their job but are exempt from self-quarantine, in the second quarter vaccination target group to block the overseas inflow of variant viruses.

The Vaccination Expert Committee also reviewed detailed implementation standards for the second dose for those who tested positive for COVID-19 after the first dose and those who experienced anaphylaxis reactions.

For those who tested positive for COVID-19 after the first dose, the second dose must be administered, and it was decided that it should be done after quarantine is lifted.

The timing of vaccination is recommended to be at least 90 days after passive antibody treatment for confirmed cases, and otherwise completed according to the recommended intervals for each vaccine.

The vaccination intervals are 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine and 8 to 12 weeks for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Vaccination Expert Committee urged, "The post-recovery vaccination schedule should be conducted considering the individual's health condition."

Additionally, for those who experienced anaphylaxis after the first dose, it was decided not to administer the second dose due to insufficient evidence for cross-vaccination with vaccines from different platforms.

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