[Reporter’s Notebook] Repeated Misadministrations... Alleviating Vaccine Anxiety Is the Top Priority

At Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul, about 140 people were vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines that were close to or past the recommended administration period after thawing on the 26th and 27th of last month. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will decide on re-vaccination after review by an expert advisory committee. Photo by Moon Honam on the 5th at Korea University Guro Hospital, Guro-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] "We expected instructions to temporarily halt vaccinations, but we are proceeding as scheduled."

At Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul, where vaccines with near or past refrigerated expiration dates were administered to a total of 147 people?77 on the 26th and 70 on the 27th of last month?COVID-19 vaccinations proceeded as usual on the morning of the 6th. Although the hospital has not yet announced any specific measures to prevent recurrence, vaccinations are being carried out for previously scheduled recipients following instructions from the health center the day before to "administer vaccines as planned."

As cases of misadministration?such as administering vaccines past their expiration date or giving doses that are either more or less than the prescribed amount?continue to occur, public anxiety is increasing. At Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital, vaccines with a refrigerated expiration date of June 1 were administered to 104 people over two days, on the 2nd and 3rd. Earlier, Incheon Sejong Hospital also administered Pfizer vaccines past their refrigerated expiration date to a total of 21 people over three days. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, there have been a total of 895 cases of COVID-19 vaccine misadministration to date. Although no significant adverse reactions have yet been reported from these misadministrations, administering vaccines past their expiration date may result in insufficient antibody production, and adverse reactions cannot be ruled out.

The lenient sanctions against contracted medical institutions responsible for misadministration are also problematic. Besides contract termination, measures such as on-site inspections, warnings, and withholding of payment for misadministered vaccines are possible, but most institutions resume vaccinations after only verbal warnings without further penalties. The KDCA has taken a passive stance, stating that "follow-up measures such as contract termination for vaccination institutions are decisions made by local governments."

To achieve the goal of completing first-dose vaccinations for 70% of the population before the Chuseok holiday, the government is accelerating the vaccination process. This is because, amid the ongoing fourth wave of COVID-19, achieving herd immunity requires vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible. However, safety and efficacy are paramount in vaccination. Receiving vaccines past their expiration date, which may not produce sufficient antibodies, is essentially futile.

Health authorities must conduct thorough on-site inspections of institutions that have misadministered vaccines, identify the causes of the problems, and take steps to prevent recurrence. Hospitals should manage vaccines more strictly, such as by categorizing management logs according to expiration dates, and implement procedures to recheck expiration dates on-site before vaccination. Cases of misadministration must not become obstacles to forming herd immunity. Minimizing public distrust and anxiety about vaccines is the shortcut to achieving herd immunity.

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