On Friday, South Korea will join some 98 countries and territories that have started vaccinating against COVID-19. To date, more than 212 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to the University of Oxford’s Our World in Data.
Like most other countries, Korea’s early vaccination efforts focus on priority groups of people aged 60 and over and first-rate health professionals.
The initial batches consist of 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 117,000 of Pfizer, which together are sufficient to cover 808,500 people, as both require a two-dose regimen for maximum effectiveness.
The plan is to give the first of two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to 272,000 nursing home residents and workers under the age of 65 by the end of March, and the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 58,000 health professionals who work with patients with COVID-19 before May.
Before the vaccines, fleets of trucks tasked with delivering AstraZeneca’s first jabs to some 1,900 long-term care centers and public health centers across the country hit the road on Wednesday morning, guarded to their destinations by the police. and military.
Data from countries where mass vaccination campaigns are underway offer reason for optimism, according to Dr. Jerome H. Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute.
“There is increasing evidence from Israel and now from the UK that high levels of vaccination are actually significantly decreasing hospitalizations,” he said, citing new studies in the UK.
Studies have shown that the first doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are able to reduce hospitalizations by up to 94% and 85%, respectively.
Kim said: “Vaccines, while they may not prevent infection, can turn a tiger into a kitten – meaning that instead of 14% of infected people being hospitalized, 4% put on fans and 1.8% die, one vaccinated person who becomes infected has mild symptoms, but does not need to go to the hospital, does not need a respirator and does not die. “
In other words, vaccines achieve “a primary objective of protecting people from serious illness and death,” he said.
“The new studies indicate that vaccines work against variants, in particular in reducing serious diseases caused by the variants,” he said. “Finally, as we have better control over outbreaks – not just in Korea, but around the world – we will decrease the generation of mutant viruses.”
But as the vaccination campaign is about to take off, some severe reminders have also been issued.
University of Korea infectious disease specialist Dr. Choi Won-suk, one of the experts invited to speak at the government meeting on Wednesday afternoon, said that although vaccines were powerful shields, life was unlikely to return to normal. so soon – at least not this year.
“Even if we complete vaccinations for 70 percent of the population by fall, as planned, it is unlikely that we will be able to go back to how things were before COVID-19 appeared,” he said.
For people on the priority list, Choi said it is “critical” that they continue to distance themselves socially, wear masks and follow other precautions.
“I think that some people have the impression that they will no longer need to wear masks after being vaccinated. But they will have to keep using it, ”he said.
“Vaccines can help protect you from getting seriously ill with COVID-19, yes. But it is not yet known whether they can prevent you from spreading it to other people, ”he said. “In addition, not all vaccinees will develop sufficient immunity to keep them protected from the virus – some may not.”
The head of the Korean Disease Prevention and Control Agency, Jung Eun-kyeong, who is overseeing immunization efforts, said in the same statement that social distance is “more important than ever”.
“Our health systems face the double burden of carrying out vaccinations while fighting COVID-19. It will be more difficult to deal with any major outbreak in COVID-19 cases. So, disguise yourself, stay aloof and get tested if you don’t feel well. “
By Kim Arin ([email protected])