"Citizens 'Anxious' About How to Get Booster Shot After Experiencing Side Effects Post-Vaccination"

Government Implements 'Vaccine Pass Validity Period System'... 3rd Dose Essentially Mandatory
"Severe Side Effects After 2nd Dose Not Recognized... Are We Being Told to Die After 3rd Dose?"
Calls for Improvements Including Expanded Vaccine Exemption Criteria

A citizen is receiving the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As the government implements the 'Quarantine Pass' (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system) validity period system, individuals must receive a third dose within 6 months (180 days) after the basic vaccination to be recognized as fully vaccinated. The target group for the third dose is young adults aged 18 to 59, with approximately 12.45 million people expected to be eligible this month.

Although the third vaccine dose has effectively become mandatory, concerns are growing about the difficulty in establishing causality for adverse vaccine reactions and anxiety over additional booster shots. Consequently, there are many opinions advocating for expanding the exemption criteria for vaccination.

The grace period for the quarantine pass validity period, which was applied from the 3rd of this month, will expire at midnight on the 10th. Currently, the quarantine pass validity period applies to all age groups 18 and older recommended for the third dose, except for 18-year-old adolescents. With the implementation of the quarantine pass validity period system, those who have passed 6 months (180 days) after basic vaccination but have not completed the third dose will no longer be recognized as fully vaccinated.

Earlier, starting from the 6th of last month, the government strengthened measures by limiting private gatherings to 6 people in the metropolitan area and 8 people in non-metropolitan areas, and significantly expanded the application of the quarantine pass to essential facilities such as restaurants and cafes. Additionally, from the 10th, the government plans to apply the quarantine pass to stores, marts, and department stores larger than 3,000㎡.

On the 6th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), explained during a briefing, "From the 10th to the 19th of last month, the outbreak began to decline significantly, and from the 19th to the 25th, it shifted to a clear decreasing pattern," attributing this to "the effect of expanding the quarantine pass and adjusting some private gatherings."

Since the 6th of last month, the government has significantly expanded the application of the quarantine pass to essential facilities such as restaurants and cafes in accordance with strengthened quarantine measures. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article.

While the government explained that the expanded implementation of the quarantine pass has been effective as COVID-19 cases decline, dissatisfaction has arisen as the third dose has effectively become mandatory due to the quarantine pass validity period system.

On the 4th, a petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board, appealing that despite experiencing side effects after the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the petitioner was classified as a third-dose candidate because causality with the vaccine was deemed insufficient. The petitioner, identified as a woman in her 20s named A, claimed she was diagnosed with pericarditis after receiving the second Pfizer vaccine dose on August 25th last year, asserting it was a vaccine side effect.

However, A was not recognized for causality and did not meet the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s (KDCA) criteria for vaccination exceptions, thus becoming a candidate for the third dose. A said, "The hospital diagnosed me with pericarditis caused by the COVID vaccination and I am still undergoing treatment, so what on earth does this mean? Currently, I have the quarantine pass because I received the second dose, but are you telling me to get the third dose in six months or just die? This time, I might really die," she lamented.

A also expressed difficulty maintaining her livelihood due to the expansion of the quarantine pass while being unable to receive the booster shot because of vaccine side effects. She said, "Since I am not eligible for vaccination exemption, I either have to get the third booster shot and risk dying or be unable to work without the quarantine pass and starve to death?it's one or the other," she vented.

Meanwhile, anxiety has increased after news emerged that a sergeant in his 20s died following a booster shot. Sergeant B, belonging to an army unit in Gangwon Province, received an additional Pfizer vaccine dose on the 3rd and was found unconscious in the barracks on the morning of the 6th. He was urgently transported to the medical unit but ultimately passed away.

Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Ewha Mokdong Hospital, who revealed that she was unable to complete vaccination due to health issues, argued on the 5th that the scope of vaccine exemption should be expanded.
Photo by YTN

Given these circumstances, there are calls to broaden the scope of vaccination exemption recognition. Professor Chun Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital, who stated she could not complete vaccination due to health issues after the first COVID-19 vaccine dose, appeared on YTN News on the 5th and said, "There are people like me who fundamentally cannot get vaccinated. They live minimal daily lives and need consideration. Many people suffer from aftereffects following the first dose. Because it is difficult to receive exemption, they find it hard to get the second dose. The exemption criteria should be applied more broadly."

According to the CDSCH, current medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccination include ▲ individuals who experienced severe adverse reactions such as anaphylaxis after the first dose ▲ immunodeficient persons or patients undergoing immunosuppressant or anticancer treatment ▲ vaccination contraindication candidates ▲ and those released from isolation after COVID-19 diagnosis. Exemptions due to severe adverse reactions are only recognized if the KDCA determines causality with the vaccine and the criteria are met.

Meanwhile, as controversy over the quarantine pass continues, the government announced plans to prepare improvement measures, including expanding the vaccination exemption criteria. On the 6th, Kim Ki-nam, head of the Vaccination Management Division at the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Task Force, said at the regular briefing of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), "The expansion of exemption recognition is being carefully reviewed considering the purpose of the quarantine pass system, which is to protect the unvaccinated and support daily recovery centered on fully vaccinated individuals. It is currently under internal review."

Kim Yu-mi, head of the Daily Quarantine Management Team at the CDCH, also said, "We are reviewing ways to expand health-related exemption reasons and preparing system improvements to reduce the inconvenience of issuing exemption certificates. The quarantine pass is an unavoidable measure for returning to normal life, and we ask for the public’s cooperation. We will continue to improve any issues that arise during implementation."

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