AstraZeneca Vaccination Decided for Those Aged 65 and Over... April Vaccine Shortage Challenges

Government "Proven Over 70% Prevention Effect"
1st and 2nd Dose Interval Extended from 8 to 10 Weeks

[Asia Economy reporters Seo So-jung and Lee Chun-hee] The government has decided to administer the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly aged 65 and over. Accordingly, vaccinations will be carried out this month for 376,000 people, including inpatients and residents aged 65 and over, as well as workers in nursing hospitals and facilities.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced on the 11th that, following the deliberation of the Vaccination Expert Committee the previous day, it plans to implement vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine for those aged 65 and older.

The Vaccination Expert Committee reviewed research results from the UK and Scotland and recommended vaccination for the elderly after confirming that the AstraZeneca vaccine demonstrated over 70% preventive effectiveness in evaluations targeting the elderly.

The committee changed the second dose reservation period from the current 8 weeks to 10 weeks, considering the current supply situation of the AstraZeneca vaccine and clinical trial results showing increased effectiveness with longer intervals between doses. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an 8 to 12-week interval between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

To block the import of variant viruses from overseas, the Vaccination Committee newly included about 20,000 airline crew members, who frequently travel abroad but are exempt from self-quarantine, in the second quarter vaccination target group.

Additionally, those who test positive after the first dose will receive the second dose after quarantine release, and those who experienced anaphylaxis after the first dose will not receive the second dose.

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

In the second quarter, 7 million doses (enough for 3.5 million people) of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be introduced domestically.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office that morning, "We have decided to receive about 7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the last week of May through June," and urged, "Please promptly proceed with follow-up measures such as confirming the target groups and providing vaccination guidance."

However, concerns have been raised that next month could become a "vaccine cliff." Excluding the 785,000 doses of AstraZeneca already supplied and 58,500 doses of Pfizer through the COVAX Facility, the confirmed vaccine quantities to be introduced this month are only 345,000 doses of AstraZeneca (COVAX) and 500,000 doses of Pfizer.

Since the amount of vaccine available for vaccination in April is limited before additional AstraZeneca doses arrive in May, a vaccine gap may occur.

Although 3 million doses of Pfizer will be introduced in the second quarter, and Moderna (total 20 million doses), Novavax (total 20 million doses), and Janssen (6 million doses) are scheduled for introduction, specific second-quarter quantities except for Pfizer have not been confirmed.

Regarding the introduction schedule, except for Moderna, which is confirmed for May, it is highly likely that Novavax and Janssen will not be introduced in April considering production and supply conditions.

In light of this situation, the government plans to advance the second dose vaccinations to first dose vaccinations among the COVID-19 vaccine supplies.

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