Pfizer Vaccine Begins 'Second Dose'... "Hoping for '0 New Cases' with Vaccination"

3 Weeks After First Dose Started on 27th Last Month
Second Dose Begins at Central Medical Center Central Vaccination Center

'First Vaccinee' Jeong Mi-kyung: "We Can Overcome Variants"

On the 20th, second doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered to healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients at the vaccination center of the National Medical Center in Jongno-gu. Eligible individuals are receiving the vaccine. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] "New confirmed cases are currently coming out at 400 to 500 per day, but I hope everyone gets vaccinated until the number drops below 100, even to '0'. We will be able to overcome the variants as well." (Jeong Mi-kyung, the first Pfizer vaccine recipient)

On the 20th, the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine began at the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Seoul. Jeong Mi-kyung (51), a janitor at the National Medical Center who received the first Pfizer vaccine dose on the 27th of last month, received her second dose exactly three weeks (21 days) later and shared her thoughts.

At 9:23 a.m., while receiving her second dose, Jeong said, "It doesn't hurt today either." She added, "I was worried during the first dose, but now I feel very comfortable," and "I was scared because I heard it would hurt when getting the shot, but it only stung a little and didn't hurt." Regarding side effects after vaccination, she said, "After the first dose, it felt sore like a muscle injection, but after two hours, it was fine," and "Some colleagues had high fever, but I did not."

The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center started at 9 a.m. Five medical center staff members waited with their medical questionnaires, and when their numbers were called, they moved one by one to the vaccination room to receive the shot. On this day, the 'first' second doses were given simultaneously to one male and one female.

During the medical examination, the medical staff checked for any side effects after the first dose, and after vaccination, they explained precautions such as not bathing on the day of vaccination.

On the 20th, the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine was administered to healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients at the vaccination center of the National Medical Center in Jongno-gu. After vaccination, recipients are waiting in the observation room to monitor for any adverse reactions.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A total of 320 vaccinations were scheduled at the Central Vaccination Center on this day. Although about 600 vaccinations are usually administered daily at the center, the number was set to match the number of people vaccinated on the first day of the first dose on the 27th of last month. The National Medical Center plans to complete the second dose vaccinations by the 2nd of next month.

Im Hyo-sang, a nurse in the infectious intensive care unit at the medical center who received the second dose that day, said, "Many people worry about side effects, but I hope it finishes without any problems," and added, "Even though we wear protective gear while working, we are often exposed to infection sources, so I think this helps alleviate some of the fear."

Kim Young-hwan, head of the trauma center at the medical center, also said, "There are many cases where we meet patients in the emergency room without knowing if they have COVID-19 or not," and shared, "After completing the vaccination, I feel like a superhuman." Both Nurse Im and Director Kim reported that aside from mild pain after the first dose, they did not experience any significant side effects.

Go Im-seok, deputy director of medical affairs at the medical center, stated that clinical studies showed a higher rate of side effects after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and announced plans to prepare accordingly. He said, "Among 5,230 people who received the first dose at the National Medical Center, 1.8% experienced side effects after vaccination, and 0.4% sought outpatient or emergency care. 90% reported localized pain at the injection site." He added, "According to overseas data, 15% experience a fever above 38 degrees Celsius after the second dose, and 40% have systemic side effects, so we expect more side effects after the second dose." To prepare for this, he explained that they are doubling the number of beds in the observation room and making thorough preparations.

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