"Why Is It Wrong Not to Get Vaccinated?" "I Won't Get the Second Dose" ... People Shouting 'Vaccine Refusal'

"No Guarantee Vaccines Are Safe" Citizens Hesitant to Get Vaccinated
Some Avoid Second Dose Due to Side Effects After First Dose
Professor Eom Jung-sik: "Cannot Force Vaccination... Need to Consider How to Prevent Outbreaks Among Unvaccinated"

On the morning of the 28th of last month, a citizen is receiving a vaccine at the COVID-19 vaccination center set up at the Mapo-gu Community Sports Center in Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] #Park, a 29-year-old office worker living in Incheon, gave up on vaccination after hearing stories from acquaintances suffering from side effects and aftereffects. Park said, "There were many media reports about side effects, but many people around me experienced hair loss, heart palpitations, and irregular bleeding. Even if there are no immediate side effects after vaccination, isn't it possible that some side effects could appear 3 or 5 years later?" He added, "If safety were guaranteed, I would definitely get vaccinated, but it is hard to understand a policy that considers giving benefits only to those who have completed vaccination when that is not the case."

Although the proportion of people who have completed COVID-19 vaccination in Korea is increasing, a considerable number of citizens still hesitate to get vaccinated due to concerns about side effects, like Park. According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, as of the 30th of last month, the vaccination completion rate was 50.1%, meaning more than half of the entire population has completed vaccination.

However, the additional reservation participation rate among unvaccinated people was low. The government conducted advance reservations for additional vaccinations for unvaccinated individuals (5,831,755 people) until the 30th of last month, but only 517,793 people (8.9%) participated in the reservation. About 5.3 million people have yet to receive the vaccine.

Some citizens hesitate to get the second dose due to aftereffects experienced after the first dose. Kim, a 33-year-old office worker living in Seoul, said, "For two weeks after the first dose, I suffered from fatigue, headaches, and chest pain to the extent that daily life was difficult. The day after vaccination, I even went to the emergency room because of a feeling of chest tightness." He added, "These symptoms lasted for 4 to 5 days and improved over time, but it was an experience I never want to go through again."

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as of the 25th of last month, 0.6% of first-dose recipients did not receive the second dose within the prescribed period. This seems to be because the second dose is known to cause stronger side effects compared to the first dose. Recently, many posts on social networking services (SNS) and online communities expressed reluctance toward the second dose, such as "I had side effects after the first dose; do I really have to get the second?" and "I'm scared and don't want the second dose."

Medical staff are preparing vaccines at the vaccination center set up in Jungnang Cultural and Sports Center in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Especially, citizens who have expressed refusal to vaccinate are displeased with the government's announcement that it is considering policies that provide benefits to vaccinated individuals when using multi-use facilities, such as the 'vaccine pass,' calling it "forced vaccination." The vaccine pass refers to a health certificate issued to those who have completed COVID-19 vaccination, and the government is considering allowing unvaccinated individuals to enter multi-use facilities and events only if they carry a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result.

Some citizens oppose the vaccine pass, arguing that it discriminates against the unvaccinated. They point out that in a situation where vaccine safety has not been verified, the introduction of the vaccine pass creates an atmosphere where vaccination becomes mandatory, which ultimately amounts to forced vaccination. One netizen raised their voice, saying, "They call unvaccinated people selfish, but isn't this a matter directly related to human lives? Getting vaccinated is a personal freedom."

The government stated that the vaccine pass is not discrimination against the unvaccinated but a protective measure to block the possibility of epidemic spread.

On the 5th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, "In the upcoming phased recovery system, minimizing severe cases and deaths is more important than the total number of confirmed cases. Especially, reducing the scale of outbreaks among unvaccinated people, who have higher rates of severe illness and fatality, is crucial." He added, "The purpose of the vaccine pass is to control the scale of outbreaks in high-risk facilities and activities with a high possibility of infection among the unvaccinated, as well as large-scale events, while lifting restrictions on the number of people and operating hours at various business facilities."

Experts suggest that vaccination cannot be forced on the unvaccinated and that a management system for the unvaccinated by authorities is important. Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gil Hospital said, "You cannot force people who do not want to get vaccinated. There are reasons why some refuse vaccination." He added, "However, it has been nearly two years since COVID-19 emerged, and the government's support to treat COVID-19 without burdening citizens will soon end. There may come a time when citizens have to bear part of the treatment costs."

He continued, "The vaccine pass aims to block and protect against COVID-19 outbreaks among the unvaccinated to normalize socioeconomic activities," and suggested, "Authorities need to carefully consider and review policies to block outbreaks among the unvaccinated."

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