Expansion of Novavax Vaccine Pre-Booking and Oral Treatment
[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 20th that starting from the 21st, it will support the cost of one pre-admission PCR test to alleviate the financial burden of COVID-19 testing for patient guardians and caregivers.
Due to the restructuring of the COVID-19 diagnostic testing system, PCR tests have been prioritized mainly for high-risk groups such as those aged 60 and above. As a result, patient guardians and caregivers who stay at hospitals have incurred testing costs.
The province will include patient guardians and caregivers as eligible individuals for testing at public health center screening clinics and provide free PCR tests.
Guardians and caregivers who visit the public health center screening clinics together with patients who are admitted or scheduled for admission can receive one free pre-admission PCR test per person.
However, if accompanying the patient is not possible, testing is allowed upon presenting proof of the hospitalized patient.
This measure is expected to help maintain infection control in medical institutions with many high-risk patients and reduce the economic burden on patients and their families due to free testing.
Meanwhile, Jeonnam Province will begin pre-booking for the Novavax vaccine from the 21st to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and will also expand the eligibility for oral antiviral treatments.
Pre-booking for the Novavax vaccine is available for unvaccinated individuals aged 18 and older. Those who complete pre-booking can receive the vaccination starting from the 7th of next month. The Novavax vaccine requires two doses administered 21 days apart to complete the vaccination.
Pre-booking can be done via the website or by phone (1339). Proxy reservations are also possible. Same-day vaccinations can be booked through KakaoTalk or Naver by reserving leftover vaccines or by contacting medical institutions by phone and registering on the standby list.
Among those who have completed the first and second doses with vaccines such as Pfizer or Moderna, individuals who have contraindications such as anaphylaxis or thrombocytopenic thrombosis or those who need to postpone vaccination may receive a heterologous booster based on a physician’s recommendation.
Additionally, from the 21st, the eligibility for the oral COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid will be expanded to include high-risk and underlying condition patients aged 40 and above.
According to treatment guidelines, the previous eligibility for oral antiviral treatment included those aged 60 and above, immunocompromised individuals, and high-risk or underlying condition patients aged 50 and above, but now it has been extended to high-risk and underlying condition patients aged 40 and above.
Underlying conditions include cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including asthma), active cancer, overweight, human immunodeficiency virus or immunosuppressive therapy, sickle cell disease, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Institutions authorized to handle oral antiviral treatments include residential treatment centers, elderly care facilities, nursing hospitals, infectious disease-designated nursing hospitals, infectious disease-designated hospitals, respiratory clinics, and medical institutions designated for respiratory treatment.
The province plans to expand the number of pharmacies responsible for oral antiviral treatments from the existing 40 to 65 by adding 25 more locations and will support the supply and operation of oral antiviral treatments without disruption in accordance with the expanded eligibility.
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