The Fourth COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Becomes Reality... "Frequent Vaccinations Negatively Affect the Immune System," Booster Shot Skepticism Emerges

A citizen is receiving a vaccine at the vaccination center.

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] As the projection that repeated COVID-19 booster shots will continue due to the Omicron variant pandemic becomes a reality, some are expressing skepticism about the effectiveness of additional vaccinations.

According to the quarantine authorities on the 13th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) is scheduled to announce the fourth dose vaccination plan targeting immunocompromised individuals and residents of long-term care facilities during a briefing on the 14th.

Ko Jaeyoung, head of the CDCH Crisis Communication Team, stated, "The necessity of the fourth dose is being reviewed by evaluating both immunity surveys and vaccine effectiveness," adding, "Details on the fourth dose for immunocompromised individuals will be announced after deliberation by the Vaccination Expert Committee."

Earlier, on the 7th, Jung Eunkyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), also mentioned during the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee plenary session that "the fourth dose is being considered for two groups: immunocompromised individuals and residents of long-term care facilities." Commissioner Jung explained, "We are considering a four-month interval after the third dose," and "since most of these groups will reach the four-month mark between late February and March, we are preparing vaccination plans accordingly."

Concerns have also been raised regarding additional vaccinations. On the 11th of last month (local time), the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-Co-VAC) emphasized that "the strategy of repeatedly administering existing vaccines as additional doses may not be sustainable," and stressed the need for vaccines that provide broad and long-lasting immunity.

Currently developed vaccines can reduce the risk of severe illness or death caused by the Omicron variant, but there are limitations in preventing infection.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) expressed concerns that additional doses might actually weaken immunity. Marco Cavaleri, head of the EMA vaccine strategy, stated on the 11th of last month (local time), "Frequent additional vaccinations may have negative effects on the human immune system."

Cavaleri suggested that while one or two additional doses are acceptable, continuous repetition should be avoided, proposing to extend the interval between vaccinations similar to receiving flu shots during the cold season.

Questions have also been raised about the effectiveness of booster shots. Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released research showing that the effectiveness of booster shots in preventing severe illness and hospitalization significantly decreases five months after vaccination.

According to the CDC's published 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)', a research team funded by the CDC analyzed over 241,200 adults aged 18 and older who were infected with COVID-19 and visited emergency rooms or urgent care clinics, and over 93,400 who were hospitalized, across 10 U.S. states from August 26 last year to January 22 this year.

The results showed that within two months after the second vaccine dose, the effectiveness in preventing visits to emergency rooms or urgent care facilities was 69%, but this dropped to 37% after five months.

Receiving a booster shot restored this rate to 87%, but it also weakened over time. The effectiveness in preventing emergency room or urgent care visits within 4 to 5 months was 66%, dropping to 31% after five months.

Meanwhile, starting from the 14th, domestic administration of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Novavax will begin. It is mainly expected to be used for the first and second doses in unvaccinated individuals aged 18 and older.

The Novavax vaccine is the first COVID-19 vaccine developed using a recombinant genetic engineering method similar to that used for hepatitis B and influenza vaccines. Because of this, the government expects an increase in vaccinations among unvaccinated individuals who had previously avoided mRNA vaccines like Pfizer due to concerns about adverse reactions.

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