[Namwon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Young-kwon] Namwon City, Jeonbuk, announced on the 13th that starting from the 12th, it will expand the age group for the COVID-19 winter additional vaccination (bivalent vaccine) to adolescents aged 12 to 17.
The eligible individuals are those born between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2010; those born in 2010 can receive the vaccine after their birthday. At least 3 months (90 days) must have passed since the last vaccination date or confirmation date after completing the primary vaccination series.
The bivalent vaccine used for the adolescent winter additional vaccination is designed to respond to the currently prevalent Omicron variants, and vaccination is possible with Pfizer BA.1 and BA.4/5.
Although the BA.5 Omicron variant is currently the most widespread in Korea, no difference in effectiveness between the two vaccines has been confirmed yet, and since other variants may emerge in the future, vaccination can be done promptly with either vaccine.
The effectiveness of the existing COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents (79% prevention of severe cases) has already been confirmed. The safety of the bivalent vaccine in adolescents is also similar to the previous monovalent vaccine. In the United States, most (94.3%) of the adverse events reported after adolescent bivalent vaccination were mild, with myocarditis occurring at a rate of 1.9 cases per 100,000 and pericarditis at 0.4 cases per 100,000, which is very rare.
Additionally, the bivalent vaccine is more effective against the currently circulating virus than the existing vaccine, with neutralizing antibody titers 1.56 to 2.6 times higher compared to the previous vaccine.
Therefore, during the winter epidemic situation, it is important to get vaccinated as soon as possible with the bivalent vaccine, which is more effective than the monovalent vaccine, throughout the winter epidemic period.
Advance reservations and same-day vaccinations have been available since the 12th, and reservation vaccinations will be possible from the 19th.
When getting vaccinated, adolescents must be accompanied by a guardian. If the guardian cannot accompany them, a consent form for vaccination must be brought and submitted to the medical institution.
Advance reservations can be made through the reservation website, phone reservations (Health Center Vaccination Office), or in-person reservations (Eup/Myeon/Dong Administrative Welfare Centers). Same-day vaccinations can be done by reserving leftover vaccines via KakaoTalk or Naver, or by using a standby list through phone contact with medical institutions.
Han Yong-jae, director of Namwon City Health Center, said, “Adolescents are more susceptible to the Omicron variant due to group living and experience more reinfections, so bivalent vaccination is necessary. It is especially recommended for high-risk adolescents such as those with chronic diseases.”
Namwon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Young-kwon baekok@asiae.co.kr
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