Beaten in 7 Seconds and Waited 15 Minutes... "Is It Time to Take Off Masks?" Growing Hopes

Patients in long-term care hospitals also say, "We want to get vaccinated quickly and have visits"
Second dose scheduled 8 weeks after first vaccination on the day
Ruling party: "First step toward daily recovery" Opposition: "Supply plan must be disclosed"

[Asia Economy Reporters Jihee Kim, Donghoon Jeong, Jinyoung Jeon] "I couldn't sleep last night, so I thought I might feel more nauseous, but now I feel fine."

At around 9 a.m. on the 26th, Kim Jeong-ok (57), director of Noa Rehabilitation Nursing Home, who received the first vaccination at Dobong-gu Public Health Center in Seoul, complained of nausea about 15 minutes after the vaccination while waiting in the observation room for adverse reactions. Medical staff immediately checked her pulse and blood pressure. Kim left the observation room 30 minutes after the vaccination, saying, "When I got the flu vaccine, I also had a slight fever and nausea," and left the health center looking reassured. As nationwide vaccinations began simultaneously around 9 a.m. that day, expectations grew that daily life, which had been restrained due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year, could be restored.

On the 26th, when COVID-19 vaccinations began in South Korea, workers at nursing hospitals and nursing facilities are receiving preliminary examinations before vaccination at Dobong-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 26th, when COVID-19 vaccinations began in South Korea, workers at nursing hospitals and nursing facilities were waiting in the adverse reaction observation room after receiving their vaccinations at the Dobong-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

◆‘Vaccine Day’ Simultaneous Vaccinations Nationwide= At Dobong-gu Public Health Center, where 60 workers and residents of nursing hospitals and psychiatric rehabilitation facilities received COVID-19 vaccines, preparations for vaccination made the place busy from early morning. Kim entered the building at 8:49 a.m. and began the vaccination procedure. She submitted a medical questionnaire and ID for registration, then moved to the pre-examination stage where her name, COVID-19 vaccination status, and allergy history were confirmed. About ten women in their 20s to 60s, scheduled for vaccination, also waited outside the vaccination room while maintaining social distancing.

The vaccination took only 7 to 8 seconds. Medical staff took a vial from the vaccine storage box, disinfected the vial's opening, and drew the vaccine into a syringe. The medical staff explained, "The injection site may swell or hurt. If you develop a high fever after going home, you should visit a hospital. Please wait for 15 minutes after vaccination and rest for more than 3 hours." The second dose will be administered eight weeks later.

Kim Sang-jun, director of Dobong-gu Public Health Center, said, "We are going through a difficult crisis, and the way to return to daily life in this situation is to get the COVID-19 vaccine." He added, "As a person responsible for local health, I feel deeply moved to take the first step, and I hope this will be an opportunity for residents to quickly return to normal life."

Nursing hospitals also completed preparations and eagerly awaited this day. Carnation Nursing Hospital in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, began vaccinating a total of 70 people, including 18 patients, from this day. Labor Director Roh Dong-hoon of Carnation Nursing Hospital shared the atmosphere, saying, "Many patients are eager to get vaccinated quickly so they can have visits."

On the morning of the 26th, at the Geumcheon-gu Public Health Center in Seoul, vaccination candidates, including Shin Jeong-sook (front row, left), a caregiver at a senior nursing center and the first person to be vaccinated there that day, were waiting for their first dose of the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Joint Press Corps

◆"Hope to Regain Normal Life Soon"= Citizens expressed both expectations and concerns about the ‘first step’ toward ending COVID-19. Office worker Choi Junsik (32) said, "With the start of vaccinations, I have hope that the COVID-19 situation can end," adding, "I hope to take off masks and freely engage in outdoor activities within this year." In schools, there were hopes for normalization through vaccination. Yoo (34), a high school teacher in Cheongju, Chungbuk, said, "I hope daily life is restored through vaccines and students return to make the school lively again," and added, "I also hope vaccines that students can safely receive will be introduced and developed soon." Lee Jae-ho (19), who entered university this year, also looked forward to starting campus life with vaccination. He expressed, "I want to get vaccinated as soon as possible and postpone military service," and "I want to meet university classmates and participate in club activities."

However, some citizens expressed concerns about vaccine safety and the domestic vaccination schedule. Office worker Kim (29) said, "Since vaccinations have just started in our country, I worry about possible side effects," adding, "I hope management and measures for side effects are well prepared so that COVID-19 ends quickly."

Self-employed people hit hard by COVID-19 sighed over the slow pace of vaccination. Baek Min-woo (42), who runs a barbecue restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said, "I have endured for over a year since the COVID-19 outbreak, but hearing that normalization will only happen by the end of this year is discouraging," and expressed doubts, "I wonder if normal business will be possible even by the end of the year."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Mixed Reactions from the Political Sphere= While the ruling party expressed expectations for a return to normal life, the opposition pointed out the need for a stable supply plan. Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, "I hope the long-awaited vaccination will be the first step toward recovery and a new start."

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized, "The government and the Democratic Party should first apologize to the people for missing the chance to secure vaccines by hesitating and only now barely starting vaccinations." Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Power Party, appeared on YTN Radio’s ‘Hwang Bo-seon’s Morning Start’ and demanded the disclosure of a concrete vaccine supply plan.