"Should We Get Vaccinated Despite Concerns?" Police Officers Begin Vaccination Amid Side Effect Fears

Concerns Over AZ Vaccine Side Effects Lead 30s Police Officers to "Hold Off"
Some Criticize Police Commissioner’s Vaccination as 'De Facto Compulsory'

On the 26th, when vaccinations for essential social workers such as police officers and firefighters began, Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, received the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine at the Jongno-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] As AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine inoculations have begun for essential social personnel such as police and firefighters, uneasy sentiments are being detected among police officers. Amid low confidence in the AZ vaccine, complaints are mounting that checking the vaccination status is practically coercive.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team on the 26th, the vaccination schedule for essential social personnel, including police officers, was moved up by about two months from June, with approximately 120,000 police personnel included. The order was adjusted as those under 30 were excluded from the vaccination target.

Some express concerns about rare side effects such as thrombosis related to the AZ vaccine. After a nurse assistant in her 40s received the AZ vaccine, she developed symptoms of 'limb paralysis' due to disseminated encephalomyelitis, and in Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, a public official in their 20s showed symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage after vaccination. As AZ vaccine side effects are known to occur mainly in younger age groups, anxiety among those in their 30s is particularly high.

A(35), a police inspector working at a local police station, said, "At first, I planned to get vaccinated because I thought I would be pushed to the back of the line if I didn't, but my family's worries were too great, so I decided not to get vaccinated." He added, "Because there are continuous talks about side effects, my family is very concerned and anxious about the vaccination, so rather than forcing it, I plan to get vaccinated slowly."

On the other hand, some expressed expectations for the vaccine's effectiveness. B(37), a police inspector working in the Gyeonggi area, said, "I think vaccination is necessary for herd immunity, etc. The probability of side effects is low and the effect is significant, so of course, I should get vaccinated." C(39), a police inspector working in Seoul, also said, "My wife is a pharmacist and thinks it's better to get vaccinated, so I made a reservation. I chose a large hospital because I could select the vaccination institution I wanted."

Meanwhile, complaints are also emerging, especially among younger police officers, that daily reporting of vaccination status is practically coercive. It is known that each city and provincial police agency is collecting daily data on vaccination reservations, implementation status, and adverse reactions until the 8th of next month to understand internal situations.

Criticism that coercion has increased also arose when Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency received the COVID-19 AZ vaccine at a health center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 26th. Commissioner Kim said that day, "Priority vaccination for the police is a consideration for the police as protectors of public safety and a social responsibility. I ask all police families to actively participate in vaccination for a swift return to a peaceful and safe daily life."

Such complaints from police officers are easily found in workplace communities as well. Recently, on the anonymous community app Blind, posts appeared saying, "Just because we are public officials doesn't mean we have to endure vaccine side effects and get vaccinated," and "Vaccination is directly related to personal life and health, but it is being made into a forced atmosphere."

Meanwhile, vaccinations for healthcare workers (294,305 people) including medical institutions at the clinic level and pharmacies, as well as chronic kidney disease patients (78,040 people), also began on this day. The government aims to vaccinate 3 million people cumulatively this month and 12 million people by the first half of the year to achieve 'herd immunity by November.'

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