Launch of Vaccine Safety Committee... Will It Alleviate Social Anxiety?

Chairman Park Byung-joo "Previous conclusions can change at any time"

Park Byung-joo, Chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Committee (Vice President of the National Academy of Medicine of Korea), announced on the 12th at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office that the "COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Committee" will be formed to intensively investigate adverse reaction cases following COVID-19 vaccination.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] An independent organization specializing in investigating adverse reactions after COVID-19 vaccination is being launched.

The National Academy of Medicine of Korea announced on the 12th that it will establish the "COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Committee" to intensively investigate cases of adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination occurring in Korea.

The newly launched Safety Committee plans to evaluate the causality between COVID-19 vaccines and domestic adverse reaction cases to establish scientific evidence. It will also comprehensively review vaccine safety through investigation and research status of adverse reactions overseas. The purpose is to proactively respond to adverse reactions and alleviate social anxiety.

The committee chairperson will be Park Byung-joo, Vice President of the National Academy of Medicine. Three subcommittees on epidemiology, clinical, and communication will be formed, and a total of 22 members will be appointed across 11 divisions by topic. Additionally, an expert advisory group in the form of a pool of specialists will be organized and operated.

The Safety Committee will undertake ▲review of domestic and international trends and literature on causality after COVID-19 vaccination ▲analysis of domestic disease, death, COVID-19 vaccination, and adverse reaction data ▲periodic analysis of adverse reaction reports and monitoring data ▲presentation of scientific evidence to review causality between vaccination and major domestic post-vaccination health issues ▲holding regular forums and communication with experts and the public.

On the 8th, when the additional COVID-19 vaccination (booster shot) began for Janssen vaccine recipients and inpatients, residents, and workers of nursing hospitals and nursing facilities, medical staff at Yonsei With ENT Clinic in Seocho-gu, Seoul, are preparing for the additional vaccination. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Chairman Park said, "To establish scientific and objective evidence for causality evaluation of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines, we will review overseas research results and conduct studies analyzing domestic vaccination data, adverse reaction reports, medical information, and death statistics from the National Statistical Office," adding, "We will strive to provide accurate information to the public."

Chairman Park explained, "While the existing Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Vaccination Injury Compensation Expert Committee evaluates causality on individual cases, the Safety Committee is formed to establish evidence evaluating causality by examining incidence and mortality rates across the entire population of our citizens." Regarding overseas research results, he said, "We will refer to them while analyzing domestic cases to understand disease phenomena in Koreans," and added, "We plan to work on generating scientific evidence specifically for Koreans."

Regarding the possibility of changes to the existing causality conclusions of the Compensation Expert Committee, he stated, "Research results on the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines continue to be published," and "Since these findings are constantly evolving, there is always a possibility that previously made conclusions may be slightly revised to reflect new information."

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