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On the 27th (local time), a grandmother in a nursing home in Mielv, Sweden, will receive the first corona19 vaccine in Sweden. Mielv = AP Yonhap News
Of the 10 million vaccines for the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), which the government has signed a contract with the COVAX facility, an international project for the joint purchase of vaccines, about 1.55 million will be introduced sequentially from of the first quarter of next year. Consequently, the government began preparing a vaccination plan from February next year. It is noted that to comfortably face the coming winter, above all, we must be fully prepared for the ‘battle of speed’.
In a regular briefing on the 28th, the president of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said: “We recommend starting vaccination in February and March next year, completing vaccination of 36 million people. recommended for priority vaccination and give them a vaccine at a level that can build herd immunity at least in the third trimester. We are aiming. ”
Currently, government-insured vaccines number 36 million people, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Cobox for 10 million people and 6 million people from Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) respectively. Based on timing of introduction, AstraZeneca and Kobox vaccines will be available in the first quarter of next year, Janssen in the second quarter, and Pfizer in the third quarter. When a contract for 10 million people is officially signed in January next year, the specific timing of introduction and the quantity of the vaccine will be decided at the same time.
Quarantine authorities explained that the amount of vaccine itself was not small. General Manager Jeong said, “The 46 million people, including Modena, represent 88.8% of the total population of Korea (53.38 million people),” and said, “Considering that if from 60 to 70% of the total population forms antibodies, herd immunity is possible. “Enough amount”.
The quarantine authorities have proposed three goals for vaccination: △ maintain the health system and essential functions of the state, △ reduce the number of patients and deaths per population, block the spread of the local community. According to this goal, 1 million people, including workers in high-risk medical institutions and the elderly living in group facilities such as hospitals and nursing facilities, will be the main vaccination targets. They are intended for vaccination in February next year. After that, △ 65 years or older △ Chronically ill adult (19-64 years, moderate risk or greater) △ Workers and employees of childcare and education facilities for children and youth △ Corona first responders 19 △ Police, firefighters , soldiers, etc. He decided to expand.
The key is the speed of the inoculation. Since various vaccines are introduced sequentially into Korea at different times, experts emphasize that in order to speed up the vaccination rate, the supply of each vaccine must be fluid, and transportation and storage problems must be fully resolved.
In fact, in the United States and Germany, where vaccination was started earlier, there are already predicted problems. Pfizer cut its vaccine shipment target in half this year due to a shortage of raw materials, and in Germany, the vaccine was delayed because it did not reach the proper temperature for the Pfizer vaccine, which must be transported at -70 degrees Celsius. . In the United States, in California and Alabama, the temperature inside the Pfizer vaccine box was too low for minus 92 degrees Celsius, which caused the vaccine to be returned. Additionally, since the United States is a very large country, there are concerns that the speed of vaccination will decline significantly as vaccination targets expand beyond large cities to small and medium-sized cities.
In light of such cases, Korean quarantine authorities will also endeavor to secure additional supplies in preparation for a possible vaccine supply shortage, and they plan to purchase 250 cryogenic freezers within the first quarter for the transportation and storage of Pfizer vaccines.
In addition, they point out that it is necessary to prepare for specific situations. Ma Sang-hyuk, vice president of the Korean Vaccine Society, said: “Pfizer vaccines require cryogenic storage, so a base hospital is needed for vaccination, but public hospitals that cannot afford to treat patients with COVID-19 may be overloaded. ” He stressed that it is necessary to establish a stable vaccination base.
A monitoring system for adverse reactions is also essential. Fortunately, despite urgent development, there are still no side effects or adverse reactions that have emerged abroad. However, Choi Jeong-hyun, professor of infectious medicine at Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, said: “Because it is a vaccine that not everyone has experienced, it is necessary to have a system that can voluntarily report when an adverse reaction occurs when examining the condition for at least a week. ”
Jinju Kim reporter [email protected]
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