Skycovione Additional Vaccination Reservations from the 19th... 240 Soldiers to Receive Sick Leave Benefits (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The vaccination scope of Skycovione, Korea's first domestically produced COVID-19 vaccine, will be expanded to include the 3rd and 4th additional doses. It was revealed that 240 people received benefits through the pilot project for sickness benefits, which the government started in July.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the 16th that during the meeting, they discussed the implementation plan for additional Skycovione vaccinations, the progress of the sickness benefits pilot project, the COVID-19 status and measures of major local governments, among other topics.

Skycovione Pre-Reservation and Same-Day Vaccination from the 19th

First, SK Bioscience's Skycovione will begin pre-reservations from the 19th to be used for the 3rd and 4th additional vaccinations. Previously, vaccinations for the 1st and 2nd primary doses began on the 5th.

On the 2nd, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases at the Korea National Institute of Health analyzed the effectiveness of additional Skycovione vaccinations on 216 subjects. The analysis showed that antibody levels increased by 51.9 times for BA.1 and 28.2 times for BA.5 compared to the existing vaccine primary vaccination group. In the Skycovione primary vaccination group, antibody levels were 71.6 times higher for BA.1. Regarding safety, only common mild adverse reactions such as injection site pain, fatigue, and muscle pain were observed.

Based on this, the Vaccination Expert Committee reviewed the use of Skycovione for additional vaccinations on the 8th and decided to use Skycovione restrictively for additional doses. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, explained, "The analysis results are excellent, but considering the small scale of the study subjects and that only some opinions have been derived, we primarily recommend messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines as the basic additional vaccination."

Accordingly, Skycovione can be administered to those aged 18 and over who have completed primary vaccination and are either contraindicated or deferred for mRNA vaccines or do not wish to receive mRNA vaccines. Son added, "Skycovione is a recombinant vaccine, a method widely used in existing vaccines such as cervical cancer vaccines and hepatitis B vaccines. For those who do not want to receive mRNA vaccines like Pfizer or Moderna, additional vaccination with Skycovione is possible."

Additional vaccinations with Skycovione can be pre-reserved and applied for same-day vaccination or leftover vaccines starting from the 19th. Those who pre-reserve can receive vaccinations from the 26th.

Sickness Benefits Pilot Project: 996 Applications, 240 Payments

The sickness benefits pilot project, which started on July 4th in six regions, had 996 applicants and 240 beneficiaries as of the 14th.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is conducting the first phase of the sickness benefits pilot project in Jongno, Seoul; Bucheon, Gyeonggi; Cheonan, Chungnam; Suncheon, Jeonnam; Pohang, Gyeongbuk; and Changwon, Gyeongnam, planning to introduce the system in 2025 after a three-year pilot.

The average payment amount is 546,000 KRW (average 12.3 days), mainly paid to middle-aged and older adults in their 40s and above, health insurance workplace subscribers, and workers in driving and cleaning-related occupations.

The authorities explained that payments will be promptly made to applicants whose reviews are still in progress once the related procedures are completed. Additionally, to facilitate easy application, they are considering relaxing document requirements for special employment types and self-employed individuals, such as designated drivers who have difficulties submitting documents.

Lee Ki-il, the first chief coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Vice Minister of Health and Welfare), who presided over the meeting, said, "The sickness benefits system compensates income for those who cannot work due to illness and helps establish a culture of 'rest when sick,' which can also prevent cluster infections in workplaces. We ask the six local governments to actively promote this to residents and workplaces."

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