Jeong Ki-seok, head of the Corona 19 Special Response Team and the National Infectious Disease Emergency Response Advisory Committee, was concerned on the 14th that “the statistics on corona 19 vaccination are still a little disappointing and the vaccination rate very low.”
Director Jung, who attended the regular briefing of the Corona 19 Special Response Team on this day, said, “The 7th epidemic began as the number of confirmed cases increased again recently.” There is a trend,” he said.
In particular, he explained, “In winter, the immunity to the virus is relatively low, so it (re-emergence) is different from summer and winter.”
In addition, he said, “In Korea, where the flu vaccination rate reaches 77%, it is very awkward that the vaccination rate for Corona 19, a winter vaccination with a higher death rate and a very high transmission rate, is remain at 12.7%. .”
In response, he emphasized, “This 12.7% must be at least 60%, the figure of the last 4th vaccination,” and “local governments must actively help people over 70 years of age to get 100% vaccine.”
Director Jeong explained, “In the past week, the number of deaths due to Corona 19 has reached 319, and 45 precious lives are lost every day on average.” “This is a number that doubles compared to a month ago. “
“However, the vaccination rate against Corona 19, which can reduce deaths, is very low,” he said. “The higher the age, the higher the death rate of Corona 19.”
In particular, he repeatedly asked that “the mortality rate is very high for those in their 70s and older,” and that “the high risk group and all citizens over 70 must receive 100% winter vaccinations to protect their health. “
In addition, “usually, two weeks after the vaccination, immunity becomes sufficient,” he said. “If the vaccination is performed this week and next week, sufficient immunity will be ensured from the end of November to the beginning of December, when a full epidemic is expected.” he said.
In response, he was informed that “you can reserve a place in advance at the vaccination support site or ask for help from the community center or each local government, or you can be vaccinated on the same day through a wired phone or SNS.”
He added, “If individual immunity is formed through vaccination, the number of hospitalized or critically ill patients will decrease, which can greatly reduce the burden on the current medical system.”
On the other hand, Director Jeong explained, “There are people who expect that this winter will be fine because the summer epidemic has passed well, but there were no major problems because there were no other seasonal infectious diseases common in the summer and only Corona 19 was responded to.”
However, he was concerned that “(in winter), it is much more dangerous because the much-talked-about RS virus or another flu overlaps, and the possibility of receiving appropriate treatment is reduced. “
For this reason, he said, “I hope that all local governments will devise various plans to make it easier to receive vaccinations during the winter season.”
“I’ll say it again, Corona 19 is an infectious disease that is much scarier than the flu,” said Director Jeong.
