Available for all adults over 18
Must be 4 months after last vaccination
"Bivalent vaccine recommended over existing vaccines"
2.6 times preventive effect against BA.4/5 variant
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As concerns about the resurgence of COVID-19 grow this winter, health authorities have expanded the eligibility for the updated vaccine to all adults aged 18 and over. The types of vaccines available have also increased, with three options including the updated vaccines targeting the BA.1 and BA.5 variants.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 27th, any adult aged 18 or older who has completed the first and second doses (primary vaccination) of the COVID-19 vaccine can now make a prior reservation for the updated vaccine starting today.
Previously, the health authorities had been administering the Moderna vaccine based on the Omicron BA.1 variant to vulnerable groups such as seniors aged 60 and above and immunocompromised individuals since the 11th. However, as the daily new COVID-19 cases increased compared to the previous week, exceeding 40,000 for two consecutive days, signaling a potential rise in the outbreak, the vaccination target group was expanded.
Accordingly, vaccination is recommended for the existing first priority groups, people in their 50s, those with underlying conditions, and healthcare workers included in the second priority group. For adults aged 18 to 49, vaccination is allowed if they wish, although it is not strongly recommended. However, to receive the updated vaccine, at least four months (120 days) must have passed since the last vaccination or confirmed infection. Reservations can be made through the existing pre-reservation system website, the 1339 call center, community centers, etc., and family proxy reservations are possible for the elderly. Same-day vaccination is also available through leftover vaccine reservation services on Naver and Kakao platforms.
The vaccines used for additional doses are Pfizer and Moderna's "bivalent vaccines." Unlike the original vaccines based solely on the initial COVID-19 virus, bivalent vaccines are designed to respond to later emerging variants. The Moderna vaccine based on the Omicron BA.1 variant, which has already been introduced, is available for same-day vaccination starting today and for reservation-based vaccination from the 7th of next month. The two Pfizer vaccines based on BA.1 and BA.4/5 variants will be available from the 7th and 14th of next month, respectively. People who cannot or do not want to receive messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines like Moderna and Pfizer can choose existing recombinant vaccines such as Novavax.
However, health authorities explain that it is still impossible to determine who should receive which updated vaccine for better effectiveness. Pfizer's BA.1-targeted vaccine, which has undergone clinical trials, produced 1.56 times more antibodies against the BA.1 virus compared to existing vaccines, and the BA.4/5-targeted vaccine showed 2.6 times higher neutralizing ability (the ability to neutralize the virus) against BA.5 in animal experiments compared to existing vaccines. Previously, Moderna's BA.1-based vaccine demonstrated 1.22 times higher neutralizing ability against the original COVID-19 virus, 1.75 times against BA.1, and 1.69 times against BA.4/5 compared to existing vaccines.
Baek Kyung-ran, head of the KDCA, explained, "Since the dominant strain recently has been BA.5, theoretically, the BA.4/5-based vaccine is somewhat more specialized for the currently circulating variant. However, there is still insufficient data to directly compare the effectiveness between the two vaccines," adding, "The most important thing is to get the available vaccine in a timely manner."
Meanwhile, major countries such as the United States and Japan currently prioritize recommending bivalent vaccines over the original vaccines. Among them, the U.S. is using only the BA.4/5-based vaccine this year’s second half, anticipating BA.4 and BA.5 to be dominant. The European Union (EU), Canada, and Japan recommend bivalent vaccines without distinguishing between BA.1 and BA.4/5-based vaccines, similar to South Korea.
Baek emphasized, "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally between 14.4 million and 19.8 million deaths were prevented through vaccination in 2020-2021, and it is estimated that about 120,000 COVID-19 deaths were prevented in South Korea through vaccination up to May this year," stressing, "Vaccination is the most effective defense against infection, severe illness, and death."
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