Jee Younger-mee, commissioner of the Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company, speaks throughout a press convention at Authorities Advanced Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company
Officers goal to spice up inoculation fee this 12 months
By Jung Min-ho
The Korean authorities will start a vaccination program for older adults and different high-risk teams to counter the newest variant of COVID-19.
In response to the Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company (KDCA), Friday, it’s scheduled to start out its immunization program on Oct. 11 with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to assist folks strengthen their immune methods in opposition to KP.3, a brand new dominant COVID variant in latest weeks. This marketing campaign will proceed till April 30, 2025.
These aged 65 or older and workers at services extra weak to outbreaks of the virus, equivalent to nursing houses and rehabilitation facilities for folks with disabilities, can obtain the photographs freed from cost.
Youthful folks and workers who don’t work at such services can even obtain the photographs in the event that they pay. The value shall be introduced after the top of the federal government’s negotiations with the vaccine suppliers.
The vaccines supposed for the marketing campaign had been particularly designed to focus on the JN.1 pressure. They are going to be more practical in opposition to KP.3, a descendant of that COVID variant, than different vaccines used for earlier campaigns, in keeping with KDCA officers.
The vaccine developed by Novavax can be underneath the evaluate of the Ministry of Meals and Drug Security for approval, they added.
This transfer comes because the variety of COVID-19 circumstances is falling after a surge between July and August.
The KDCA’s knowledge exhibits that the variety of COVID sufferers admitted to 220 designated hospitals nationwide was 549 in the course of the first week of September, in contrast with this 12 months’s weekly peak of 1,452 three weeks in the past.
In the meantime, the variety of sufferers who had visited emergency rooms decreased from 13,451 to 2,831.
For top-risk teams, it is very important obtain booster photographs yearly to successfully shield themselves from new COVID variants, KDCA Commissioner Jee Younger-mee stated in a press briefing.
Amongst folks aged 65 or older, solely 41.3 % obtained booster photographs in opposition to COVID-19 in 2023. Officers say they may step up efforts to extend the speed this 12 months.
Certainly one of their plans is to supply folks to get vaccinated in opposition to seasonal influenza and COVID-19 on the identical day. On condition that greater than 82 % of the folks obtained flu vaccines final 12 months, officers imagine this might assist encourage older adults to additionally get COVID photographs as properly.
In response to an inquiry by The Korea Occasions final month, an official stated practically 72 % of individuals aged 65 or older had been anticipated to obtain the up to date COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they develop into accessible, citing the results of a survey carried out final 12 months.
