[Moon 4th Anniversary Speech] "Complete First Dose Vaccination for All Eligible Citizens by September to Accelerate Herd Immunity" (Comprehensive)

President Moon: "Over 13 Million Vaccinated by June"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] President Moon Jae-in stated on the 10th regarding COVID-19 vaccination, "We will complete the first dose for all eligible citizens by the end of September and advance the goal of achieving herd immunity in November ahead of the original plan."

President Moon said this during a special speech marking the 4th anniversary of his inauguration held at the Chuncheon Press Center, adding, "We plan to raise the target and vaccinate more than 13 million people by the end of June."

President Moon explained, "We will continue efforts to secure additional vaccine supplies considering the possibility of a third dose, preparation for variant viruses, expansion of eligible groups including minors and children, and the quantities needed next year," and added, "The government will make full use of our medical system and infrastructure capable of large-scale vaccination."

He continued, "It is true that there is some regret that vaccination could have been faster," but emphasized, "However, since we are not a vaccine-developing country and could not make large-scale upfront investments, I believe that the efforts of quarantine authorities and experts to meticulously plan vaccine procurement and vaccination according to our quarantine situation and to carry out vaccinations without disruption deserve proper evaluation."

Moon: "Regret that vaccination was not faster, but proper evaluation is needed"... Public sentiment remains 'cold'

Although President Moon announced accelerating COVID-19 vaccination to achieve herd immunity earlier than initially planned, many challenges remain, including global vaccine supply, to fully alleviate public anxiety and skepticism.

Recently, public perception of 'K-Quarantine' has changed significantly compared to last year. Until last year, many citizens felt reassured by Korea's relatively low number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths compared to the US and Europe, but the atmosphere shifted this year as vaccination campaigns began worldwide.

Unlike advanced countries that pre-purchased messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna in bulk, Korea has faced criticism for lagging behind in securing vaccines. The government has raised its vaccination target for the first half of this year from 12 million to 13 million people and aims to complete the first dose for all eligible citizens by the end of September to achieve herd immunity by November ahead of the original plan.

However, there is a significant gap between public expectations and reality. According to a perception survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) through the polling agency Mono Research, targeting 838 adult men and women nationwide, 60.8% of respondents expected Korea to achieve herd immunity by the second half of next year. Only 9.9% viewed the government's goal of achieving herd immunity by November this year as realistic, representing just one in ten people.

The slow pace of first-dose vaccinations this month has also increased public anxiety. As AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines arrive sequentially, an imbalance in supply occurred because reserves intended for second doses were used earlier to increase initial vaccination rates. The ongoing controversy over the rare blood clotting side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was heavily used in the first half of the year amid limited vaccine options, also adds to the burden.

Only 7.2% of the total population has received the first dose... Need to secure mRNA vaccine technology

On the 10th, citizens are watching President Moon Jae-in's special speech on the 4th anniversary of his inauguration in the Seoul Station waiting room. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

As of midnight on the day, the total number of people who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Korea was 3,674,729, accounting for only 7.2% of the total population (51,349,116). Israel, which started vaccination at the fastest pace globally, has moved closer to normal life by forming herd immunity, lifting various quarantine guidelines, and discussing mask removal indoors as well as outdoors.

The government has pledged full support for the development of domestic vaccines to secure vaccine sovereignty in preparation for the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, but the situation in the biotech industry is challenging. While countries worldwide are actively pursuing mRNA vaccine technology, Korea is still in the early stages, and it is expected to take several years to develop the technology fully.

Currently, five domestic companies?SK Bioscience, Genexine, GeneOne Life Science, Cellid, and UbioLogics?have received approval for vaccine clinical trials and are conducting tests, but all are developing vaccines in forms other than mRNA. A biotech industry official said, "The key to solving problems amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is ultimately vaccines," adding, "In the long term, securing mRNA vaccine technology is impossible without full government support and funding."