Authorities "Discussing Strategy" on Research Results Showing Reduced Vaccine Efficacy Against Variant Virus

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The quarantine authorities stated that they are closely monitoring the situation and discussing strategies in response to recent research findings indicating that the COVID-19 variant viruses spreading globally reduce vaccine efficacy.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), said at an online regular briefing on the 1st, "Research and analysis on the efficacy and effectiveness of each vaccine against various variant viruses are ongoing," adding, "In particular, the variant virus originating from South Africa is considered to have mutations in regions that could affect vaccine efficacy."

Director Jung explained, "The Novavax vaccine shows about 60% effectiveness against the South African variant, which is relatively high, and some studies report that the Janssen vaccine's effectiveness is about 57%. In contrast, the AstraZeneca vaccine's effectiveness is reported to be around 22%, which is lower."

She continued, "Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are also reported to have reduced neutralizing ability (the ability to neutralize the virus), so the quarantine authorities are closely monitoring the situation," and added, "We are continuously discussing vaccine strategies against variant viruses with experts."

According to the quarantine authorities, as of today, a total of 156 variant virus infections have been confirmed domestically. Among them, 133 cases are the UK variant, 17 cases are the South African variant, and 6 cases are the Brazilian variant.