AstraZeneca CEO: "UK Does Not Need to Rush Booster Shots"

"Need to Further Confirm the Necessity of Booster Shots"
"Unnecessary Medical Burden May Increase"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, expressed a cautious stance regarding the necessity of additional COVID-19 vaccinations (booster shots) for those who have completed their initial vaccination, stating that further review is still needed. He also emphasized that the UK government does not need to rush the implementation of booster shots.

On the 7th (local time), CEO Soriot wrote in an article for the British daily The Telegraph, "Clinical evidence from the real world must support the decision to administer a third vaccine dose," adding, "The third dose may or may not be necessary. Moving too quickly could lead to making critical decisions based on limited data without fully understanding the situation."

CEO Soriot warned, "If a booster shot program is launched prematurely, it could unnecessarily burden the National Health Service (NHS) system over several months during the winter," urging the UK government to be cautious about whether to proceed with booster shots.

Meanwhile, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an advisory body to the UK Department of Health, is reportedly waiting for research results on booster shots. According to The Telegraph, the JCVI expects to receive the research findings within this week and plans to decide on the administration of booster shots within a few days after reviewing them.

Earlier, on the 6th, Nadim Zahawi, UK Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment, appeared before the House of Commons and stated that the NHS is ready to operate a booster shot program. He also mentioned that through booster shots, the UK could downgrade the COVID-19 pandemic to a cyclical endemic level similar to influenza.

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