Seoul Asan Hospital Begins AstraZeneca Vaccine Administration: "We Will Protect Patient Safety"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Seoul Asan Medical Center announced that starting from 8 a.m. on the 5th, it began its own COVID-19 vaccination for staff including doctors, nurses, and health workers at the COVID-19 staff vaccination room set up on the 6th floor of the hospital's East Building.

On the first day of vaccination, starting at 8 a.m., simultaneous vaccinations were administered to Seoul Asan Medical Center's Deputy Director of Medical Affairs Lee Je-hwan, Director of Infection Control Kim Seong-han, Emergency Nursing Team nurse Choi Seo-yeon, Intensive Care Nursing Team nurse Kwon Hye-rin, and Radiology Team manager Seo Dae-geon.

Lee Je-hwan, Deputy Director of Medical Affairs at Seoul Asan Medical Center, said, "COVID-19 vaccination is the safest and most effective way to escape the risk of infectious diseases and return to daily life," adding, "Through vaccination, we expect Seoul Asan Medical Center to become a hospital that protects patient safety even more."

The COVID vaccine vaccinations are scheduled to be administered to an average of about 800 people per day over approximately two weeks from this day until the 19th. The total number of staff eligible for vaccination is about 7,700.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, supplied on the 3rd, will be administered starting this day to about 7,400 healthcare workers working in the emergency room, intensive care unit, wards and departments related to procedures where droplets may be generated, and testing departments.

Three hundred staff working in isolation wards for COVID-19 patient treatment are scheduled to receive the Pfizer vaccine starting after the 8th.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, the AstraZeneca vaccine will have a second dose administered at an 8-week interval, and the Pfizer vaccine will have a second dose at a 3-week interval.

The vaccination process proceeds in the order of ▲registration and temperature measurement ▲completion of personal information usage consent form ▲completion of preliminary examination and vaccination consent form ▲vaccination administration ▲monitoring for side effects (15?30 minutes).

Choi Seo-yeon, a nurse of the Emergency Nursing Team at Seoul Asan Medical Center, said, "I feel relieved that with the COVID-19 vaccination, we will be able to care for patients in a safer environment," adding, "I hope that herd immunity within the hospital will be formed quickly so that Seoul Asan Medical Center becomes a place where patients can visit with greater peace of mind."