AstraZeneca Vaccine Rollout Resumption to Be Announced This Afternoon... Attention on Age Restrictions

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The government will announce in the afternoon of the 11th whether to resume the administration of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which had been temporarily suspended for certain groups due to blood clot controversies.

As many countries around the world have set age restrictions, it is expected that the AstraZeneca vaccine will resume administration, but some age groups may face limitations.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Task Force (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), will announce the position on resuming the AstraZeneca vaccine, which had been temporarily halted for some groups, during an online briefing that afternoon. She plans to disclose future vaccination plans after comprehensively reviewing the results of expert advisory panels and the Vaccination Specialist Committee discussions.

The government partially suspended and postponed the AstraZeneca vaccine administration on the 7th amid controversies linking it to rare blood clot formation. As a result, vaccinations scheduled for about 142,202 people, including special school staff, kindergarten and elementary to high school health teachers, and workers in infection-vulnerable facilities, which were to begin on the 8th and 9th, were postponed. Vaccinations for 38,771 individuals under 60 years old among those currently being vaccinated were also put on hold.

Subsequently, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) acknowledged the possible link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots, stating that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the side effects and recommended continuing vaccinations. The government decided on the 8th to effectively resume vaccinations.

However, countries worldwide have imposed age restrictions on AstraZeneca vaccine administration. Germany and Italy recommend the vaccine only for those aged 60 and above, France for those 55 and older, and the UK advises people under 30 to receive vaccines other than AstraZeneca.

In South Korea, reports of blood clots following AstraZeneca vaccinations continue to fuel controversy. In February, a patient in their 60s hospitalized in a nursing hospital died eight days after vaccination, with blood clots found during an autopsy. Last month, a COVID-19 first responder in their 20s was diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) after vaccination, and blood clots were found in the legs and lungs of a woman in her 20s who received the AstraZeneca vaccine as a healthcare worker.

Accordingly, the government is reportedly considering resuming vaccinations while restricting certain age groups or adjusting the vaccination priority order.

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of Gachon University’s Department of Preventive Medicine said, "Vaccinations for the elderly will continue. However, for certain age groups such as younger people, the risks and harms will be evaluated before making a final decision on whether to resume vaccinations."

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