US-Provided Janssen Vaccine... Reservists and Civil Defense to Receive on a 'First-Come, First-Served' Basis (Comprehensive)

Reserve Forces Training Scene

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The administration of the Janssen (a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary) COVID-19 vaccine, which the United States has agreed to provide to the South Korean military, will begin next month. The vaccination targets are reservists and civil defense personnel aged 30 and above, as well as military-related workers. Reservists and civil defense personnel can register on a first-come, first-served basis starting from the 1st of next month.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), announced the vaccination plan for the Janssen vaccine, which will be provided by the U.S. government, during a regular briefing on the 30th, stating, "The donated vaccine will be administered to reservists and civil defense personnel aged 30 and above, as well as military-related workers."

On the 21st, U.S. President Joe Biden stated during a briefing following the Korea-U.S. summit, "We will provide full vaccination to all 550,000 South Korean soldiers who regularly engage with U.S. forces." The vaccine was confirmed to be the Janssen vaccine, and the quantity was nearly doubled to 1,012,800 doses. The Janssen vaccine differs from other COVID-19 vaccines in that it was developed to provide immunity with just a single dose, so one dose equals one person.

Earlier, on the 7th of last month, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved the Janssen vaccine for COVID-19 prevention in individuals aged 18 and older. According to multinational clinical trial results from the U.S. and other countries, the Janssen vaccine showed a preventive effect of 66.9% after 14 days and 66.1% after 28 days post-vaccination. It also demonstrated effectiveness against variants, with 64.0% efficacy against the South African variant and 68.1% against the Brazilian variant.

The vaccine will be imported into South Korea early next month via a military aircraft. The government plans to expedite emergency use authorization to enable immediate vaccination and will conduct its own quality inspection through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, as this is the first time the Janssen vaccine is introduced domestically.

Janssen (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The Central Disease Control Headquarters plans to administer vaccinations at designated medical institutions through prior reservations, similar to the AZ vaccine administration for those aged 60 and above, to minimize vaccine wastage. Vaccination candidates can make online reservations from the 1st to the 11th of next month. Vaccinations will be conducted from the 10th to the 20th of next month.

However, when combining the current vaccination target groups?538,000 reservists aged 30 and above, 3.04 million civil defense personnel, and 137,000 defense and diplomatic personnel including military-related family members?the total number of vaccination candidates exceeds 3.72 million, which is more than three times the 1,012,800 doses being introduced this time. The Central Disease Control Headquarters explained, "Reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis according to priority," and "vaccinations will be administered overall in the order of reservation." Those who do not receive vaccination this time will be vaccinated according to the third-quarter vaccination plan.

Among active-duty military personnel, 117,000 aged 30 and above have already been vaccinated from last month through this month, and 414,000 personnel under 30 will be vaccinated next month using the Pfizer vaccine as per the existing plan.

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine [Image Source=AP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the vaccination targets for 55,000 Moderna vaccine doses, which will arrive in South Korea tomorrow through individual contracts and be stored at GC Green Cross’s Ochang plant, have been finalized. The government has selected medical institution workers under 30 years old at hospital-level or higher facilities as the Moderna vaccine recipients next month. The actual medical institutions for vaccination will be selected through the Korean Hospital Association according to the vaccine supply.

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