Janssen Vaccine Pre-registrations Exceed 640,000 in 13 Hours... "Early Closure Possible" (Update)

"Reservations May Close Early Even with Fewer Than One Million People"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] As the pre-booking for 1 million doses of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine provided by the U.S. government began at midnight on the 1st, the number of reservations reached 646,000 within 13 hours. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the Janssen vaccine reservation may end early.

On the 1st, Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "As of 1 p.m. today, 646,000 people have completed pre-booking for the Janssen vaccine." He added, "Since the introduced vaccine is for 5 people per vial, even if the number of reservations is less than 1 million, there is a possibility of early closure. We will confirm the final delivery quantity and the number of reservations and end the reservation according to the delivery of 1 million doses."

The Janssen vaccine reservations have been proceeding through the online pre-booking system since midnight today. Eligible recipients include reservists aged 30 and over, civil defense personnel, and military-related workers. The reservation period is until the 11th.

Meanwhile, unlike other vaccines, the Janssen vaccine is completed with a single dose. Regarding concerns that the duration of the vaccination effect might be shorter than other vaccines, Kim Ki-nam, head of the Vaccination Planning Division at the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, emphasized, "Janssen showed a preventive effect of over 66% in clinical trials with a single dose, and the prevention effect against severe cases is known to be maintained at over 85%. There have also been studies showing better efficacy compared to other vaccines against the South African and Brazilian variants."

Regarding the possibility of additional doses, he said, "We are monitoring domestic and international research trends for each vaccine, and since clinical trials and studies are ongoing for each vaccine, it will be necessary to establish more scientific evidence."