SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean authorities said Sunday they will go ahead with a coronavirus vaccination test this week, after deciding to continue using the AstraZeneca PLC vaccine for all eligible people aged 30 and over.
South Korea on Wednesday suspended the supply of AstraZeneca shot to people under 60, as Europe reviewed cases of blood clotting in adults.
People under the age of 30 will be excluded from resuming vaccinations on Monday because the benefits of the shot do not outweigh the risks for this age group, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported in a statement.
Three people vaccinated in South Korea were reported to have developed blood clots, and one case was correlated with the vaccine, according to Choi Eun-hwa, chairman of the Korean Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
This case was a type of blood clot considered less severe than the type examined by European authorities, he said.
For most people, the risks of coronavirus are far worse than the rare possibility of vaccine side effects, Choi said, adding that the best way to end the pandemic was to vaccinate everyone who can. receive.
But he said: “The benefits are not so great for those under 30, so we will not recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine for them.”
The benefit-risk ratio of AstraZeneca shooting increases as the elderly increase as the risk of serious harm due to vaccination decreases and the expected revenue from vaccination in the ICU increases sharply, according to the Winton Center for Risk and Evidence Communication from the University of Cambridge.
The drug maker has said its studies have not found a greater risk of clots due to its vaccine, millions of doses of which have been administered worldwide. The World Health Organization has said the benefits outweigh the risks.
The global controversy over the efficacy and side effects of some COVID-19 vaccines has caused some delays in South Korea’s vaccination campaign, which began in late February with the aim of achieving human immunization. herd in November.
The second-quarter immunization program includes teachers who specialize in schools with disabilities and vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities and the homeless, according to the KDCA.
Reports by Josh Smith; Edited by Kim Coghill and William Mallard