Additional mRNA Booster for Janssen Recipients in December... Janssen Also Under Review (Update)

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Booster shots (additional vaccinations) for Janssen vaccine recipients are expected to begin in December.

Hong Jeong-ik, head of the Vaccination Management Team at the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing on the 13th, "The Janssen vaccine was first administered domestically in June, so the period for additional vaccinations will arrive in December," adding, "Before December, we plan to finalize and announce detailed plans for additional vaccinations for Janssen vaccine recipients and the general public through expert consultations and review by the Vaccination Expert Committee."

Hong explained, "We are planning to administer the booster shot to Janssen vaccine recipients using messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines," and added, "However, recent research trends suggest that additional vaccination with the Janssen vaccine itself is possible, so we are carefully reviewing that aspect as well."

He said, "We will refer to the latest domestic and international research results and monitor policy trends in countries currently implementing booster shots, and after expert consultations and review by the Vaccination Expert Committee, we plan to decide on the specific vaccine types."

On the 12th, additional vaccinations (booster shots) began for COVID-19 treatment hospital workers who had completed their primary vaccination series over six months ago. At the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, treatment hospital workers are receiving their vaccine shots. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team has established detailed implementation criteria, including cases where booster shots are needed within six months besides immunocompromised individuals, to ensure smooth vaccination according to the situation of each booster shot target group as pre-booking for booster shots begins.

According to these criteria, booster shots are administered to those who have completed the primary vaccination series six months after the second dose (or six months after the single dose for the Janssen vaccine), preferably within eight months.

However, for immunocompromised individuals whose immunity is incomplete with only the primary vaccination, booster shots can be given starting two months after completing the primary vaccination.

▲ In cases where group infections occur or are likely to occur in vulnerable facilities or multi-use facilities ▲ When it is difficult to receive vaccination after six months due to overseas travel or when additional vaccination is needed before departure to prevent infection ▲ When additional vaccination between six to eight months is not possible due to hospitalization or medical treatment schedules, booster shots can be administered starting four weeks before six months after completing the primary vaccination.

The Promotion Team stated, "If someone qualifies as immunocompromised but has not received prior notification, they can register directly at a public health center with a doctor's opinion. If a booster shot recipient cannot get vaccinated within the recommended booster period, they can adjust their appointment schedule through the public health center," adding, "We plan to enhance the pre-booking system to allow additional registration and schedule adjustments for booster shots at public health centers."

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