Supply problems seriously disrupt vaccination schedule

People wait to receive a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

• Published Aug 10, 2021 4:24 PM KST
• Updated Aug 11, 2021 5:27 PM KST

More people losing trust in gov't vaccination program

By Lee Hyo-jin

The delay in the shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines has disrupted the government's vaccination plan, leading to confusion among people who had their inoculation appointments abruptly rescheduled.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Monday that the U.S.-based pharmaceutical company has more than halved the 8.5 million doses it had planned to deliver in August due to production-related problems.

Due to the supply delay, the government has announced that it will readjust the gap between the first and second doses of the mRNA vaccines ― Pfizer and Moderna ― to six weeks from the current four, starting Aug. 16.

This announcement led to confusion among those who had their appointments abruptly pushed back by two weeks without receiving any prior notice from the health authorities.

“I checked the COVID-19 vaccine app (COOV) after reading the news. The reservation for my second shot, which was initially scheduled for Aug. 31, was pushed back to Sept. 14,” said a 27-year-old Seoul resident surnamed Lee who received a first Pfizer dose Aug. 3 through the leftover vaccine reservation system.

Lee, who has been preparing for the civil service examination for over a year, expressed frustration, as she had hoped to get fully vaccinated before the exam, slated for Sept. 11.

A resident in Daegu in her 50s, who was inoculated with her first Pfizer dose Aug. 5, and had her second one fixed for Sept. 2, said, “I didn't even know about the delay. My daughter looked it up (on the vaccination reservation app) and told me that it has been rescheduled to Sept. 16.

“I don't understand why the government did not send any notice in advance via text message or Kakao messenger.”

Things were even more confusing for individuals who had their appointments rescheduled for the upcoming Chuseok public holiday, which falls on Sept. 20 to 22, during which it is unclear whether medical institutions will be operating.

“My second dose has been rescheduled for Sept. 21, but I'm not sure whether hospitals will be open that day,” said a 34-year-old office worker surnamed Yeom.

“I'm beginning to lose trust in the government's vaccination program, as they keep changing the type of vaccines and inoculation intervals,” he said. Employees of large companies, including Yeom, were initially set to be inoculated with Moderna vaccines if they receive the shots at medical clinics within the companies, according to the government's special mandate to provide vaccines to employees of large conglomerates on a preferential basis, but they were replaced with Pfizer vaccines due to supply issues.

Medical experts said extending the gap between dose intervals will not have a big influence on the efficacy and safety of the vaccines, but the government's repeated changes may increase public distrust about its vaccination drive.

“The continuing uncertainties about vaccine shipments may have a negative impact, as they may worsen public concern over the vaccines,” said Jacob Lee, a professor of infectious disease at Hallym University Medical Center.

But further changes seem possible if the supply issue is not resolved, with the KDCA having mentioned a possible readjustment of the age limitation for the AstraZeneca vaccine as a plan B.

“As the AstraZeneca product was approved for use on people aged 18 and over, a readjustment is possible depending on the supply situation,” KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said at a press briefing, Monday.

Due to the rare side effect of blood clots with the AstraZeneca vaccine, its use is currently banned for people under the age of 50 here.