Korea to hold off inoculating elderly with AstraZeneca vaccines

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong speaks at a briefing on the vaccination plans held at its office in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Monday. Yonhap

Vaccinations to begin with people under 65 at nursing homes

By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea has decided to hold off on administering AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine to people over the age of 65, Monday, changing its initial plan to prioritize the elderly population in the first round of vaccinations set to begin later this month.

The changed plan has come amid growing controversy worldwide over the efficacy of the pharmaceutical company's product for senior citizens.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced detailed plans for the country's first round of vaccinations which is scheduled to roll out Feb. 26, as the first batch of AstraZeneca's doses available for around 750,000 people is expected to arrive on Feb. 24.

Patients and medical workers at nursing homes who are younger than 65 will be the first group to get the two-dose vaccines, while plans for inoculating older people will be decided later based on further data of clinical trials to be provided by late March.

As for the reason for the age limit, the health authorities cited a lack of statistical significance for efficacy in those aged 65 and older, as well as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's earlier recommendation to make a prudent decision on vaccinations for the elderly population.

While the drug safety ministry had approved use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Feb. 10, it had urged caution against using it for the elderly citing a lack of data on efficacy.

"In consideration that the controversy over the vaccine's efficacy for the elderly may lower public acceptance of the vaccines, we have decided to make a final decision based on additional clinical data," the KDCA said in a statement.

This decision has brought changes to the country's initial plan to prioritize the older age group in the first round of vaccinations as it had earlier stated plans to inoculate around 780,000 senior citizens within the first quarter.

Under the newly announced plans, the first group to receive the shot will be patients and medical workers under the age of 65 at nursing homes and senior healthcare facilities across the country, which the government estimates to be around 272,000 people.

The second group to be vaccinated will be medical personnel working in "high-risk" medical institutions such as general hospitals, estimated to be about 354,000 people. They will receive the shot starting from March 8.

It will be followed by 78,000 front-line COVID-19 responders including 119 emergency workers and epidemiological investigators, who will be inoculated starting March 22.

In addition, another batch of vaccines from Pfizer available for 55,000 people which Korea has secured through COVAX facility, a global cooperation for vaccine development and distribution, will be administered to medical workers in coronavirus treatment facilities.

"As for the people aged 65 and older who are excluded in the first round of inoculation, they are likely to be included in the vaccination plans in the second quarter, with additional doses from AstraZeneca or Novavax," KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said at a briefing, Monday.

The health authorities noted that the country has secured vaccines to inoculate 56 million people through the COVAX facility and separate contracts with four drug companies, and is currently holding talks with Novavax to secure additional doses for 20 million more people.

In the meantime, President Moon Jae-in said the country would come up with revised social distancing rules for March along with vaccination schedules.

"The new rules will focus on minimizing forcible measures, such as gathering bans and business operation bans, instead giving heavier punishment for those violating quarantine regulations," Moon said during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae. "Disease control will be based on autonomy and responsibility, a change from one-size-fits-all compulsory measures."

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