First Domestic Vaccine Inoculation One Week Away... Jeong Sye-gyun: "No Safety Issues with AZ Vaccine"

9th COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutics Status Review Meeting

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking while presiding over the COVID-19 vaccine and treatment status review meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the 19th. 2021.2.19 Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] With the AstraZeneca vaccine, the first to be introduced domestically, just a week away from administration, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun emphasized on the 19th that "there is no problem with the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine."

On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Chung presided over the 9th COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutics Situation Review Meeting at the Government Seoul Office and said, "Following the recent decision to postpone AstraZeneca vaccine administration for the elderly, I understand there are concerns about the vaccine's safety." He added, "It has been approved in over 50 countries worldwide, and just a few days ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) also granted emergency use authorization. No serious adverse effects have been reported in countries where vaccinations have already started," reiterating the point.

He continued, "However, during clinical trials, the number of participants aged 65 and older was insufficient to definitively assess its effectiveness. Additional clinical trials are underway to supplement this," and said, "Once the results are available, we will go through expert verification procedures to conclude on vaccination for the elderly and transparently disclose this to the public."

The AstraZeneca vaccine administration, starting on the 26th, is expected to first target residents and workers of nursing hospitals and other care facilities. The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Task Force is expected to finalize the list today. Prime Minister Chung urged the relevant authorities, saying, "Since this is the first step, we must conduct thorough and meticulous checks and confirmations from the initial stage to ensure the vaccination proceeds successfully."

Addressing the public, Prime Minister Chung appealed, "Please trust the information provided by the government and actively participate in vaccination without being misled by fake news," adding, "'What harm is there if I don't get vaccinated?' is a mindset that hinders the formation of herd immunity we aim for." He further requested, "Especially, I ask healthcare professionals with scientific and specialized knowledge about vaccines, as well as workers in nursing hospitals and care facilities who come into contact with the elderly vulnerable to COVID-19, to actively participate in vaccination."