Return to Daily Life 'First Start'... Mapo-gu First Vaccine Dose Administered

Priority Vaccination for Nursing Hospital Workers and Residents... Gradual Expansion of Eligible Groups Planned... Mapo-gu Focuses on Rapid and Safe Vaccination... Aiming to Increase Vaccination Rate for Herd Immunity

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) conducted the first COVID-19 vaccination on the 26th.

On this day, the Mapo-gu Public Health Center administered vaccines to 10 medical staff, including doctors, nurses, and caregivers working at nursing hospitals and nursing facilities located in Mapo-gu.

At the site where Kim Yoon-tae, director of Nexsu Children's Rehabilitation Hospital and the first vaccine recipient in Mapo-gu, received the vaccine, President Moon Jae-in and Director Jung Eun-kyung of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency were present to observe the process.

Prior to this, President Moon received a briefing at the Mapo-gu COVID-19 Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 'Vaccination Implementation Plan for Nursing Hospitals and Nursing Facilities' and the 'Mapo-gu Vaccination Plan.'

He then toured the vaccination preparation status inside the Mapo-gu Public Health Center, encouraging and commending frontline Mapo-gu staff who have greatly contributed to COVID-19 response and quarantine efforts, including operating the dedicated COVID-19 call center.

Mapo-gu completed a screening clinic equipped with a full-section negative pressure automatic control system, prepared even before the COVID-19 outbreak, in May last year, enabling proactive response to the spread of confirmed cases.

Additionally, during the surge of confirmed cases in August last year, all district employees were deployed to the COVID-19 field epidemiological investigation team, which was widely recognized for preventing additional confirmed cases by avoiding delays in disclosing confirmed patients' movement paths.

Going forward, according to government guidelines, vaccinations will be prioritized for residents and workers of nursing facilities and nursing hospitals under the age of 65, with plans to sequentially expand the target groups based on priority.

Vaccinations will be conducted in a tailored manner through procedures including vaccinations at nursing hospitals and facilities themselves, vaccinations at public health centers, and visits by public health center staff to nursing facilities.

Meanwhile, to ensure smooth and stable vaccinations, the district formed the 'Mapo-gu COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Team' last month to swiftly respond to and manage vaccine supply, vaccinations, and adverse reactions, completing prior preparations.

Furthermore, to block early transmission of COVID-19 variants that may spread at any time, management of self-quarantined individuals will be strengthened, increasing on-site surprise inspections from twice a week to five times a week.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Since this vaccination is the first to be conducted nationwide simultaneously, we have thoroughly prepared everything from vaccine arrival to pre-vaccination preparations and vaccination procedures to ensure it proceeds safely.” He added, “We hope that through Mapo-gu’s active efforts for rapid vaccination, herd immunity will be secured as soon as possible and life will return to pre-COVID-19 normal.”