Pre-orders for the improved COVID-19 vaccine developed to respond to the Omicron mutant virus will start from the 27th. The priority vaccination targets are those over 60 and those with weakened immunity.
On the 21st, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team published the ‘Covid-19 Winter Supplemental Vaccination Action Plan’ considering the need to prepare for a winter resurgence, bivalent vaccine research results, and overseas trends. For this booster vaccination, Moderna developed a bivalent vaccine to respond to the mutant virus of COVID-19 and Omicron (BA.
Quarantine authorities will receive suspicions from the 27th and start scheduled vaccinations and vaccinations on the 11th of next month. The first target of vaccination is about 13 million people, including residents and workers in facilities susceptible to infection, such as nursing hospitals and facilities and facilities for the disabled and homeless, the immunocompromised, and the elderly over 60 years old. Vaccination plans for those in their 50s, who are in second place, those with underlying diseases, and health care workers, and those who are healthy aged 18-49, who are in third place, will be publish soon.
Same-day vaccinations using residual vaccines are available from October even for those who have completed the second and 3rd primary or higher vaccinations. If 4 months have passed since the 4th vaccination or the confirmation date, the 5th vaccination can be done with the improved vaccine. In a briefing on the same day, Director Baek Kyung-red of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Director of the Vaccination Response Team) said, “The key to vaccination this winter is that it uses a bivalent vaccine and that the vaccination the policy will be changed based on time rather than order. If so, they will be included in the bivalent vaccine target regardless of the number of final vaccinations.” He also said, “We will rapidly introduce a bivalent vaccine based on BA.4 and BA.5, which sub-displaces Omicron.”
The government has decided to establish an infectious disease response organization in public health centers to consistently respond to infectious disease emergencies such as COVID-19. The general business reorganization will be done, such as changing the functions of public health centers to plan, administer, and respond to crisis, and adapt medical care to focus on vulnerable areas and vulnerable groups. This is so that health centers can respond more effectively when an infectious disease crisis strikes again and carry out essential tasks without any obstacles. On the same day, the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported to the Headquarters of the Central Disaster Countermeasures and Security ‘Promotion Plan for Strengthening Countermeasures for Infectious Diseases in Public Health Centers’ containing such content.
Correspondent Kim Jong-un likesmile@hankyung.com
