Doctor-turned-politician Park In-sook: "If you get the AZ vaccine, you can't travel to Guam... Vaccine discrimination will occur"

Published 16 May.2021 17:49(KST)

A healthcare worker at Yongsan-gu Public Health Center in Seoul is aliquoting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] Former Future United Party (now People Power Party) lawmaker Park Insook warned on the 16th, "People vaccinated with Pfizer can travel to Guam, but those vaccinated with AstraZeneca cannot," adding, "There is a high possibility of discrimination based on the type of vaccine received."

Park, a former doctor, shared on her Facebook that the Guam government announced on the 15th that travelers who have completed both doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have received emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be exempt from mandatory quarantine.

Since the vaccines approved by the FDA so far include Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen, Park explained that those vaccinated with AstraZeneca, which was supplied domestically, may face discrimination.

Park said, "This is something no one expected," and criticized, "Now, family trips and group tours might have to be organized separately according to the type of vaccine received."

She also added, "The Moon Jae-in administration has been stalling all this time by setting all kinds of strange and unreasonable standards on whether to provide Pfizer or AstraZeneca, frequently changing those standards," and expressed renewed anger over the administration's failure to secure vaccines.

According to the Guam Visitors Bureau, the Guam government will implement new entry guidelines starting at 12:01 a.m. on the 15th (local time). All travelers entering Guam must quarantine for 14 days at designated facilities regardless of COVID-19 test results, but travelers who have completed both doses of FDA-approved Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson-Janssen vaccines are exempt from quarantine.