"Why Do I Get COVID-19 After Vaccination?" "Isn't It Just a Cold?"... Expert Answers [Q&A]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] "I got the COVID-19 vaccine, so why am I still getting COVID?" "Isn't COVID-19 just a cold?"

The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced on the 23rd that it held an expert briefing session on key COVID-19 response areas to provide accurate information about the effectiveness and safety of the updated vaccines. At the briefing, Chairperson Choi Eun-hwa of the Vaccination Expert Committee, Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine, and Professor Lee Jae-gap of Infectious Diseases at Gangnam Severance Hospital answered representative questions that the public is curious about. The representative questions were summarized and organized in a Q&A format.

Q. I got vaccinated, so why do I still get COVID-19? Are the new vaccines highly effective?

Professor Jeong Jae-hoon: "There are two effects of the vaccine. One is the effect of preventing infection, and the other is the effect of preventing severe cases and deaths when infected. The infection prevention effect tends to decrease over time, and it decreases more when new variants emerge. On the other hand, the prevention effect against severe illness or death does not decrease as much as the infection prevention effect, even with new variants and over time. The newly administered bivalent vaccines have some ability to respond to new variants, and since most of the currently circulating variants are sub-lineages of Omicron, we can expect some level of infection prevention effect. The prevention effect against severe illness and death is also likely to be maintained at a higher level for a longer period. This is why vaccination is very important."

Q. Isn't COVID-19 just a cold?

Professor Lee Jae-gap: "The most common comparison regarding the fatality rate of COVID-19 is with the flu. Before COVID-19 vaccination started, the fatality rate varied by country, ranging from about 1% to 10%, depending on the epidemic situation and healthcare system issues. Since vaccination began, the fatality rate has decreased significantly. However, it is still almost 5 to 10 times higher than the flu, so it cannot be considered the same as influenza. Also, even though many flu patients occur in one season, in South Korea, at the peak, about 3 million cases occur over two months, which does not heavily impact the healthcare system or resources. But with COVID-19, even during the last summer wave, there were over 7 million cases, so the sheer scale of patients due to its transmissibility is enormous. It is too early to say it is similar to the flu."

Q. Please talk about adverse reactions to the updated vaccines.

Chairperson Choi Eun-hwa: "The reporting rate of adverse reactions to the bivalent vaccines is low or similar to that of existing vaccines, and most are mild, such as pain and swelling. Additionally, no new adverse reactions have been observed specifically from receiving the bivalent vaccine."

Q. I am worried that frequent vaccinations might strain the body.

Professor Lee Jae-gap: "Some people have already received up to five doses, and some four doses, so these questions are common. Looking at other vaccines besides COVID-19 vaccines, there have been no safety issues raised. However, when multiple doses are given at short intervals, there have been reports of vaccines where antibody levels did not rise well after subsequent doses. But for COVID-19 vaccines, if administered with the minimum recommended interval, the booster effect does not significantly decrease."

Q. There are three types of updated vaccines; which one should I get? Isn't the BA.4/5 vaccine better?

Professor Lee Jae-gap: "Many people might think so, but the important point is that the epidemic situation is ongoing in South Korea. It is best to get the vaccine that is most accessible to you as soon as possible. Also, there is no significant difference in antibody formation, and although the current epidemic is mainly caused by BA.4/5 variants, we do not know which variant will dominate in the future, so it is not possible to say which vaccine is better in which situation."

Director Baek Kyung-ran of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, "A single recommendation from medical staff can lead to vaccination, protecting the lives and health of vulnerable groups and playing a key role in safely overcoming the winter resurgence. We will communicate more frequently with the public and continuously share the latest research results to guide the public on the effectiveness and safety so that they can receive vaccines with confidence."