The government on Thursday came up with a plan for COVID-19 vaccinations, starting with medical personnel treating coronavirus patients. The vaccinations will be expanded in stages to inpatients and employees at geriatric hospitals and nursing homes and those working on the frontlines in the fight against the pandemic.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is seeking to achieve herd immunity by inoculating 70 percent of the entire population with the exception of children, juveniles and pregnant women at least by the end of November. It remains to be seen whether the government's plan will be implemented as planned in light of lingering uncertainties over the timing and volume of vaccine arrivals.
The government needs to set up concrete action plans to deal with unexpected events, while strengthening consultation channels between quarantine authorities and onsite workers to prevent any confusion. Securing trust in vaccinations is of utmost importance. Health authorities should provide vaccine-related information ranging from inoculation and possible allergic responses in a very consistent and transparent manner, as well as explanations based on science.
Speedy vaccination is also important, because inoculating 70 percent of the population is a prerequisite to achieving herd immunity. Toward that end, we should establish relevant facilities and secure skilled human resources. Authorities should learn from the experiences of countries which started vaccinations ahead of Korea.
Efforts should be made to prevent an delays in the distribution of vaccines due to absence of necessary facilities or failure to store them properly. Any bungled attempts at vaccination will fan public distrust. Most importantly, the government needs to supply a sufficient amount of vaccines. Yet authorities have failed to disclose specific information on the volume of available vaccines and the timetable for vaccination, only unveiling plans to start inoculations from next month.
Many European countries have been seeking to ban their local manufacturers from exporting vaccines due to a failure to supply vaccines on time. Doubts have been arising over the government's pledge to secure enough vaccines. The United States, for its part, has been maintaining an “America first” principle in vaccinations. Some pharmaceutical companies have begun to show signs of delaying the supply of vaccines, which is why we should place primary emphasis on securing a sufficient volume, among other things.
We need to stay alert about the pandemic even after being vaccinated. We should continue to wear face masks and abide by social distancing rules, taking lessons from other countries where COVID-19 cases surged again amid a loosened atmosphere after vaccinations. We urge quarantine authorities to fully prepare for the vaccination of the public starting from purchase to inoculation and post-vaccination management.