Opposition Criticizes Government's Reversal on AZ Vaccine Rollout: "Find an Alternative Vaccine"

"When Will Social Distancing Continue? Need to Secure Various Vaccines"

AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 Vaccine
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The opposition parties have voiced strong opposition after the government decided to resume the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine inoculation, which had been temporarily suspended.

On the morning of the 9th, Kim Ye-ryeong, spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement saying, "The government decided to resume AZ vaccine inoculations just one day after suspending vaccinations for those under 60 years old as a 'precautionary measure considering safety.'"

Spokesperson Kim explained, "It has been less than two months since vaccinations began in Korea last February, but this is already the second time vaccinations have been postponed or suspended."

He continued, "In fact, this move by the government to resume vaccinations can be interpreted as due to the lack of alternative options." He added, "According to the plan announced by health authorities, out of 11,503,400 people scheduled to be vaccinated in the second quarter, 7,705,400 are expected to receive the AZ vaccine," emphasizing, "Currently, there is no other vaccine available for such a large number of people."

He then stated, "The government should now acknowledge the 'vaccine mishandling' and alleviate public anxiety through thorough safety investigations of the vaccine," and urged, "Achieve nationwide herd immunity quickly through cross-vaccination and vaccine diversification."

The People Party also criticized the government's vaccination policy on the same day, stating that other vaccines must be found to replace the problematic AZ vaccine. In the afternoon, Hong Kyung-hee, senior deputy spokesperson for the People Party, said in a statement, "Social distancing was merely a stopgap measure before the COVID vaccine was developed," and criticized, "If the public had made active sacrifices and cooperated for a year, the government should have devoted that time to securing sufficient and diverse vaccines."

She added, "On the 7th, the European Medicines Agency announced a link between the AZ vaccine and thrombosis. In Korea, three patients developed thrombosis after vaccination," and said, "The flustered government authorities have been repeatedly suspending and resuming vaccinations while only watching the European agency's stance."

She further pointed out, "Ultimately, our government has shamefully promoted itself as an achievement by receiving a large number of vaccines that other countries are reluctant to use."

She urged, "How long will the government continue to repeat social distancing measures that focus only on the number of confirmed cases after the fact without any prior measures? We hope the government will promptly announce a vaccination plan to replace the uncertain AZ vaccine and ease public anxiety."

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