Government to Decide This Week on AZ Vaccine Administration for Those Aged 65 and Over

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] The government has decided to determine this week whether to administer the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly aged 65 and over.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team stated on the 7th that regarding the expansion of the AstraZeneca vaccine's target group, "We plan to hold the 'Vaccination Expert Committee' during next week (February 7?13) to discuss related matters."

Earlier, when announcing the 'February?March Vaccination Implementation Plan,' the government had postponed the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to residents and workers aged 65 and over in nursing hospitals and nursing facilities.

This was due to ongoing controversies, mainly in European countries, surrounding the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the elderly. As a result, the vaccination schedule for about 370,000 residents of nursing hospitals and nursing facilities aged 65 and over was delayed.

However, recently, the United Kingdom has released research results proving the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine, prompting countries that had previously postponed vaccination for the elderly to change their policies.

According to Public Health England (PHE), a survey of elderly people aged 80 and over who received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine showed that hospitalizations decreased by 80% three to four weeks after vaccination. For those aged 70 and over, the infection prevention effect was estimated to be 60?73% four weeks after vaccination.