Lee Jae-gap "Vaccine Effectiveness Drops After 6 Months... Annual Vaccination Possible"

"Booster Shots Should Be Administered Mainly to High-Risk Groups"

On the morning of April 26, medical staff at Jeopsipja Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, administered the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to a police officer.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Experts have analyzed that COVID-19 vaccinations could be administered annually like flu shots. The view is that vaccine effectiveness decreases over time, making re-vaccination inevitable.

Professor Lee Jae-gap of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital appeared on TBS Radio's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" on the morning of the 31st and said, "It is highly likely that vaccinations will be given every fall like flu shots to provide protection until spring."

Professor Lee cited Israeli research showing that vaccine effectiveness drops to about 60-70% after six months, explaining, "There are actual reports from the U.S. indicating that the preventive effect in nursing homes and long-term care hospitals drops to nearly 50%, so data is accumulating that we in Korea will also need to re-vaccinate those in nursing homes and long-term care hospitals who were vaccinated first."

He added, "Looking at overseas data, especially from Israel, breakthrough infection cases among high-risk and elderly groups start appearing from the sixth month, and the overall effectiveness in preventing severe cases also declines. In Korea, those who were vaccinated early will reach six months by October. Therefore, based on current data, it seems appropriate to administer booster shots mainly to high-risk groups after October."

Regarding the booster shot schedule, Professor Lee said, "Research is needed on that. Since only one or two months have passed since some people received booster shots, Israel will continue to release data on the duration of antibody persistence and preventive effects. Based on those results, we will have to wait for research to determine whether boosters will continue every six months or if the interval will be extended."

On the frequent breakthrough infections in long-term care hospitals, Professor Lee explained, "The vaccinations for residents in long-term care hospitals were administered five to six months ago. These individuals are elderly and have been hospitalized long-term, often with multiple underlying conditions and weakened immunity. Also, since these are group facilities, once a confirmed case enters, there is a risk of multiple exposures, making breakthrough infections more likely in such settings."

Meanwhile, health authorities announced that booster shot vaccinations to enhance COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness will begin in the fourth quarter (October to December). At an online regular briefing on the 30th, Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, "We are establishing detailed vaccination plans aiming to start additional vaccinations (booster shots) in the fourth quarter for those who have completed their primary vaccination series at least six months ago."

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