What is the future COVID-19 vaccination plan?

AstraZeneca’s vaccine is expected to be approved in February next year, medical staff likely to be vaccinated

Vaccination is key for the general public as early as the second quarter, and for all 70% of the citizens

It seems difficult for individuals to choose a vaccine, but there is no cure

The government's plan and schedule for introducing COVID-19 vaccine have been established.

 

It was introduced within the first quarter through a pre-purchase with AstraZeneca, and the contract with Pfizer, Modena, and Janssen, which contracts were delayed, will undergo import procedures after the second quarter.

 

Therefore, early approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine is required for vaccination to begin in the first quarter.

 

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun appeared on 'KBS 1TV Sunday Diagnosis Live' on the 20th and announced that the AstraZeneca’s vaccine will be approved by the MFDS by early next year and will be supplied from the first quarter.

 

In addition, he explained that it is difficult to introduce a vaccine from Pfizer, which is expected to contract this month, and Modena, which is pursuing a contract in January next year.

 

This is the same as Im In-taek, head of the Health Industry Bureau of the MOHW, at a briefing on securing a vaccine developed overseas for COVID-19 on the 18th.

 

Director Lim explained, "AstraZeneca’s vaccine will be introduced in Korea first in the first quarter of next year, and the vaccine made by SK Bioscience will be supplied." From the second quarter to the fourth quarter, the rest of the vaccines, such as Pfizer and Modena, will be introduced, and 100% will be supplied for 44 million people who have been confirmed to purchase within the year.

 

Overseas authorities' interest in the UK's MHRA approval, and Korea is likely to judge based on this On the same day, the MFDS initiated a rolling review of the Pfizer vaccine.

 

AstraZeneca’s vaccine has already been reviewed in advance since last October, and the company plans to approve it within 40 days when a formal application for approval is received.

 

Foreign media reports that AstraZeneca's vaccine is likely to be approved by the UK regulatory agency, MHRA, on the 28th or 29th of this month.

 

It is reported that the University of Oxford, UK, which is co-developing the AstraZeneca vaccine, is highly likely to submit final data for phase III clinical trials by the 21st.

 

The UK, which has left the European Union (EU), is not under the jurisdiction of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and has been approved by its own regulatory body.

 

The previously approved Pfizer vaccine was also independently screened by MHRA.

 

However, MHRA is not an unreliable institution.

 

Moreover, since the development of the Astrazeca vaccine started in the UK, MHRA has been continuously reviewed, so it is highly likely that the EMA and other countries will refer to MHRA's approval in the future.

 

It is reported that the US FDA will urgently approve domestic vaccines Pfizer and Modena, and AstraZeneca vaccine will be approved as early as February, but if MHRA or EMA approval falls, Korea is highly likely to refer to it for review.

 

It is unlikely that the special import system will be utilized as in the case of Remdesivir as it is already in the process of rolling review.

 

Special import is a system introduced through expert review at the request of the KDCA.

 

In the case of Remdesivir, it took only 4 days for the import decision after The KCDC request.

 

However, it is pointed out that it is unreasonable in terms of public opinion and future safety risks to introduce overseas vaccines without going through the safety and efficacy review procedure.

 

Therefore, it is highly likely that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be approved in early February after a 40-day review when the clinical trial ends this month and an official application for approval is received.

 

Japan, which has secured 145 million vaccines through pre-purchase, is also expected to begin its first vaccination in February-March next year, similar to Korea's, after going through its own screening procedure.

 

Pfizer applied for approval of use on the 18th, but it will take some time until the final approval of the license.

 

Japan has decided to introduce Pfizer’s and AstraZeneca’s vaccines for 60 million people each.

 

Therefore, it is expected that the AstraZeneca vaccine will go through a similar approval procedure.

 

Excluding AstraZeneca, it is difficult to introduce it in the first quarter, and there is time until approval by Pfizer or Moderna.

 

However, in the case of Pfizer, unlike AstraZeneca, in the case of a preliminary review application, it is highly likely that domestic approval will be obtained sooner as the clinical trial data have been submitted.

 

Even if 44 million vaccines are imported, demand is key.

 

The vaccine should be given as much as possible When the AstraZeneca vaccine for 10 million people is sequentially introduced from the first quarter, it is expected that medical staff and senior citizens will first be vaccinated.

 

It is explained that the vaccination for the general public will begin according to the timing of the vaccine introduction.

 

The government plans to complete the vaccination at least until the fourth quarter of the flu outbreak.

 

The timing of introduction of vaccines for each type is different, and the supply of vaccines is not constant, so it seems difficult for individuals to choose the type of vaccine.

 

The problem is that there is a high possibility that all 70% of the population must be vaccinated to create collective immunity and fight COVID-19.

 

The 44 million people that the government has confirmed to purchase account for 70% of the population.

 

However, the amount of vaccination seems to be sufficient as the currently developed vaccine has not been verified for vulnerable groups such as children (under 17 years of age) and pregnant women.

 

Therefore, the question is how many people accept vaccination.

 

Since vaccination is not mandatory, some cases are expected to refuse vaccination.

 

However, as experts emphasize that at least 70% of the population must be vaccinated in order to develop collective immunity, the government's promotion of vaccines and persuasion to the public are expected to be important.

 

Experts say that if collective immunity does not develop and the number of confirmed cases does not decrease, there is a high likelihood of getting the vaccine every year like the flu.

 

If the virus is not successfully eradicated at once, it seems that there will be a limit to living a normal life without a mask in the absence of a definitive treatment, such as the flu's Tamiflu.

 

In the case of flu, even if Korea supplied 30 million vaccines every year, 1.77 million cases occurred last year.

 

As of 0 o'clock on the 20th, it cannot be compared with the 49,665 cumulative COVID-19 confirmed cases.

 

Nevertheless, it is managed without inpatient treatment because there is flu treatment, Tamiflu (Oseltamivir).

 

Experts argue that the virus should be virtually eradicated through the formation of collective immunity by getting the vaccine as many as possible as there is no definitive treatment for COVID-19.

 

The focus should be on how much to increase the vaccination rate for the remainder of the period rather than controversy over the timing and quantity of vaccinations.