The government sought to dismiss concerns over a possible shortage of COVID-19 vaccines and their safety, Monday, which could hamper its efforts to meet the goal of achieving herd immunity by November, amid growing fears over another wave of infections.
President Moon Jae-in urged critics to refrain from creating exhausting debates about the vaccine, something he claims has caused anxiety among the public, and called on them to concentrate on the national effort to overcome the public health crisis as soon as possible.
“The government has secured a sufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines, and pushed ahead with its vaccine rollout plan without a hitch under its clear goal of achieving herd immunity by November,” Moon said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae. “We are mobilizing all possible diplomatic and administrative means to brace for any uncertainties in the procurement of vaccines.”
Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki also stressed that claims the government was suffering procurement difficulties were untrue, noting it has secured 192 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 99 million people, an amount almost double the nation’s 52 million population, following a new contract signed with Pfizer over the weekend to import additional doses for 20 million people.
“With the latest deal with Pfizer, we will be able to preemptively prepare for expanding inoculations to people under 18 years old and meet additional demand for booster shots in response to new variants of the coronavirus,” Hong said in a public statement.
“The government is aiming to administer the first shots to 3 million people by the end of April, 12 million by the end of June and finally 36 million ― 70 percent of the entire population ― by the end of September.”
In November when these people have received their second shots, the country would achieve herd immunity, he added.
Hong denied the government has been mired in difficulties in procuring vaccines, saying that uncertainties have been comparatively low, while almost all countries around the world, except for the United States and the United Kingdom, which developed the vaccines, and Israel that secured them in the early stages, have been facing similar situations.
“As of Sunday, there have been no delays in deliveries of vaccines that the country has secured,” Hong said.
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| A firefighter gets a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a hospital in Gwangju, Monday, as the nation began administering vaccines to “essential workers,” such as firefighters and police officers. Yonhap |
With regard to safety concerns, Hong said the government has been thoroughly monitoring any abnormal reactions after vaccination, vowing to offer state compensation to people who suffer side effects that are found to have a causal relationship with the relevant vaccine.
Moon and Hong’s remarks came amid public worries over the safety of some vaccines, including the one from AstraZeneca, as well as procurement.
Among people who have suffered side effects was a nursing assistant in her 40s who developed paralysis in her arms and legs a week after receiving her first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine last month. She was diagnosed with acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis, an immune response reaction, and the health authorities are working to discover whether her condition was caused by the vaccine.
Health experts said the government’s latest contract with Pfizer was meaningful in that the nation has secured sufficient vaccines to expand its inoculation to children and adolescents, in order to achieve herd immunity.
“Pfizer’s vaccine had been developed first, thus there has been more data about its safety and efficacy. This raises the possibility for inoculation to be expanded to children and adolescents,” said Kim Kyung-woo a professor of family medicine at Inje University Paik Hospital. “The key point is when will the vaccines be delivered, as uncertainties always exist.”
Russia’s Sputnik V not under consideration
Meanwhile, in a radio appearance earlier in the day, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-Chul confirmed that the government was not considering importing the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia for now, saying, “We have already secured a sufficient amount of vaccines for the latter half of the year.”
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the nation added 500 more COVID-19 cases including 469 local infections for Sunday, raising the total caseload to 119,387.
The latest figure was down from 644 identified Saturday and 785 Friday, apparently due to less testing during the weekend.
