Reservation for Vaccination Begins Today for Ages 70-74 and Patients with Chronic Severe Respiratory Diseases
[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] "'It might be okay if it's just me,' but if we become careless, this unstable phase could escalate into a large-scale outbreak."
Kwon Deok-cheol, 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of Health and Welfare, said in his opening remarks at the CDSCH meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 6th, "Despite yesterday being a holiday, the number of new domestic confirmed COVID-19 cases is expected to exceed 500 significantly," adding, "Those who visited crowded places during Children's Day are urged to avoid contact with others if they have symptoms and to get tested immediately."
According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases on that day was 574, approaching the 600 mark.
Deputy Head Kwon described the current situation as unstable and requested that the public actively participate in vaccination.
He stated, "Vaccination is the safest way for us to avoid contracting COVID-19 and to acquire immunity," adding, "Vaccination can prevent COVID-19 infection, and if infection does occur, it can prevent progression to severe illness."
From 10 a.m. that day, reservations for vaccination began for seniors aged 70 to 74 and patients with chronic severe respiratory diseases. From the 10th, seniors aged 65 to 69, and from the 13th, seniors aged 60 to 64 will be able to make vaccination reservations in sequence.
Deputy Head Kwon said, "The government has stably secured enough vaccine doses to provide first vaccinations to 13 million people by June, and has prepared various means for reservations, including the COVID-19 vaccination pre-reservation system, the Disease Control Agency call center 1339, and visits to town and township community centers," urging, "Eligible individuals should make reservations by the method most convenient for them and receive their vaccinations on the designated dates."
He continued, "A considerable number of citizens are concerned about adverse reactions after vaccination," and stated, "To ensure the public can receive vaccinations with confidence, we will designate dedicated personnel with local governments to strengthen adverse reaction management."
He also emphasized that information on reported adverse cases will be transparently disclosed and that the causal relationship between vaccination and adverse events will be thoroughly investigated based on scientific evidence through the Vaccination Expert Committee and others.
Deputy Head Kwon added, "While providing sufficient compensation for damages, considering that confirming causality and compensation may take time, we will first utilize emergency welfare and catastrophic medical expense support systems to reduce the treatment cost burden for severe patients with high medical expenses."
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