The Hankyoreh Shimbun, which insists on 'forced' with the existing vaccination against the emergence of Omicron variants, announced on the 29th that it would continue to 'continue the additional vaccination' with the judgment of the business executive as an expert diagnosis.
Vaccine-supplying pharmaceutical companies announced that it would take 2-3 weeks to secure new mutation research data, and the European Agency for Disease Control and Prevention delayed it according to the manufacturer's judgment of 2-3 weeks.
The Hankyoreh said, “Although there is a possibility that the omicron mutation may reduce the infection prevention effect of the existing vaccine, as seen in the delta mutation, the vaccination rate should be basically continued because it greatly lowers the severity and mortality rate. Kim Tae-hyung, managing director, said, "If Omicron mutations are introduced, some breakthrough infections will occur, but there is a certain evidence that the vaccine is effective in preventing severe progression. The target of basic vaccination should be expanded to children over 8 years old like the United States and Israel, and additional vaccinations should be continued.” > said in the title article.
Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom at the cabinet meeting on the same day decided that the entire cabinet should focus its capabilities on the prevention and control of COVID-19, which is having difficulties due to the emergence of 'Omicron' and the increase in patients with severe cases. All ministries have decided to work together to increase the youth vaccination rate, secure additional beds, and introduce and utilize therapeutics early.>
The Washington Post reported on the 28th that “there are some skeptics about the all-out booster shot.” “The Johns Hopkins University data show that only about 24% of South Africans are fully vaccinated, while about 60% of Americans are vaccinated. If the booster shot is launched in earnest, the rate of vaccination in developing countries will be delayed, and the situation could be worse than now.”
"A booster-shot-centric approach could mean that large portions of developing countries remain unvaccinated, creating conditions for other variants to emerge," said Celine Gunder, a professor of infectious diseases at New York University. "There are approaches that are likely to be profitable in the short term and other approaches that are likely to be very beneficial in the long term. How do we weigh them?"
On the 26th, Stefan Bansel, CEO of Moderna, said, “We studied the effects of three methods: increasing the dose of a single dose of the existing vaccine, developing a vaccine that responds to existing antigens and new mutations at once, and developing a new vaccine that directly responds to Omicron. “It usually takes 60 to 90 days to make the first experimental vaccine,” he said.
Pfizer announced that it would secure additional research data on new mutations within two weeks in collaboration with German BioNTech and announced that if necessary, a new vaccine tailored to the new mutation could be developed within six weeks and shipped within 100 days.
In addition, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, and the University of Oxford have also begun research on vaccines against the new mutation, foreign media reported.
Korean media reported that Celltrion plans to combine it with an inhaled treatment that is currently being developed at the same time after securing data in December on the phase 1 clinical trial of CT-P63, which has recently been discontinued, an anonymous official said. It has been confirmed that the viral antigen binding site does not overlap with the mutation site of the Omicron mutant virus, which is currently expected to spread, so it is expected that it will exert a strong neutralizing ability for Omicron.
The article in front of the Hankyoreh is “the most heterogeneous mutation.” What will happen to Omicron in the future? Based on what the 'Hankyoreh' has known at home and abroad, domestic experts △Seoul National University Professor Kim Yoon (Medical Management) △Kim Taehyung Executive Director TheragenBio △Eom Joong-Sik Professor Gachon University Gil Hospital (Infectious Disease Department) △Lee Jae-Gap Professor of Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital (Dept. of Infectious Diseases) at Hallym University I interviewed four people and compiled them.> he said at the outset.
The report and the remarks made by Prime Minister Kim seem to be aimed at President Moon Jae-in presiding over the special quarantine inspection meeting in response to the infectious disease (COVID-19) on the afternoon of the 29th.
At the Blue House meeting immediately after this, President Moon announced special measures for 'early completion of the third vaccination for the next 4 weeks'.
Moderna Bansel, CEO, said on the 30th, "It seems that the existing vaccine, Omicron, will be less effective."
At a back briefing on the 30th, Hong Jung-ik, head of the vaccination management team of the Vaccination Response Promotion Division, said, "If possible, the same vaccine should be used for additional vaccinations for those aged 18 to 49. "he said.