[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The government will shorten the interval between messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccinations such as Pfizer and Moderna starting next month.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the 26th, "From early October, we will shorten the interval between the first and second doses to further increase the vaccination completion rate."
Prime Minister Kim instructed the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and local governments to "take thorough measures to prevent confusion caused by reservation changes due to the shortened vaccination interval."
The original interval between the first and second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines was 3 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively, but due to ongoing vaccine supply instability, the interval has currently been extended to 6 weeks.
However, for the second dose, it is currently possible to receive Pfizer after 3 weeks and Moderna after 4 weeks through leftover vaccines. Since the vaccination interval can already be shortened through leftover vaccines and vaccine supply has become stable, calls to shorten the vaccination interval are growing stronger.
In particular, due to the highly transmissible Delta variant, the number of new COVID-19 cases recently surpassed 3,000, and as the 'highest ever' number of confirmed cases is expected soon, there have been calls to mandatorily shorten the vaccination interval to increase the vaccination completion rate.
Accordingly, the government has also hinted at the possibility of shortening the vaccination interval of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines back to the original 3 weeks and 4 weeks.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team stated, "We plan to shorten the interval of mRNA vaccines," and added, "Detailed information will be provided in the briefing on the fourth-quarter vaccination plan on the 27th."
Experts have expressed the opinion that since Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the main vaccines in the third quarter, are primarily administered to young and middle-aged adults who are highly active, increasing the vaccination completion rate more quickly will help control the epidemic.
Professor Jung Ki-seok of Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital (former director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) said, "Under Korea's medical system, if active cooperation from entrusted medical institutions is achieved, there will be no major difficulties in shortening the vaccination interval," adding, "However, for institutions handling multiple vaccines simultaneously, the government must thoroughly manage and supervise to prevent incorrect vaccinations."
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