Moderna's CEO announced that the existing vaccine was invalid for Omicron, but the government started to deplete stocks with the policy of 'compulsory vaccination' for those in their 60s.
On the 14th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) decided to approve the manufacture and sale of 'Spikebox', a domestically produced moderna vaccine, and approved the sale.
'Spikebox' is the same vaccine as 'Moderna Spikebox' developed by US Moderna, which was licensed for import on May 21 according to President Moon Jae-in's vaccine hub policy for the Korea-US summit, and is a coronavirus vaccine produced by Samsung Biologics.
Moderna's CEO Stefan Bansel said in an interview with the Financial Times on November 30, "I don't think it can be at the same level as the delta mutation."
Moderna's president, Stephen Hodge, said, "The Omicron Booster Shot will realistically be released in the second quarter of 2022."
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said in the main script on the 13th, "According to foreign studies, the effect of the third vaccination is 10 times more effective in preventing infection and 20 times as effective in preventing aggravation, compared to those who have completed the second vaccination, according to foreign studies." .
According to the JoongAng Ilbo, the head of the vaccination management team at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Hong Jeong-ik, the third vaccination is “no option other than the third moderna in their 60s.”
In response to the question 'Can I choose a vaccine?', the report answered, "In principle, it is impossible. They must have the same vaccine. Pfizer-Pfizer inoculations can book with Pfizer, and Moderna-Modern with Moderna. AZ-AZ must meet moderna, and Janssen must also meet moderna,” he said on the 12th.
The question of ‘whether people who have AZ vaccines, such as those aged 60 to 74, cannot choose Pfizer? The same goes for booster shots. If you allow the choice, you are worried that there will be a shortage by focusing on a specific vaccine. However, modern or those subject to inoculation prohibition who cannot be vaccinated can change to Pfizer if they receive permission by submitting a statement of opinion or diagnosis to the public health center. However, there is no clear evidence that those subject to vaccination are prohibited.
Professor Specter, a professor of genetics and epidemiology at the University of Cannes College, England, who is in charge of the ZOE Corona Symptom Research, said that as a result of the investigation of the confirmed cases of Omicron mutation in the country, "All of the confirmed patients have completed the corona vaccine, and some were even vaccinated with booster shots." Express reported on the 13th.
The British Ministry of Health applied only AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines in the analysis of 581 Omicron confirmed cases in 581 cases. "This is an early stage, so all current estimates are subject to change at any time due to significant uncertainty."
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, “The UK pulled the booster shot cycle to 3 months at the end of November, and Greece started implementing it from the 6th.” The JoongAng Ilbo said, “The fact that it is inevitable to shorten the booster shot cycle to 3 months is a big part of the story. explanation. If we pull it down to three months, seniors over 60 can complete the booster shot within this month, and those aged 18 to 49 can complete it within January next year,” he said.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said to the JoongAng Ilbo, "We have recently sent an official document banning the selection of Pfizer by AZ inoculations to frontline medical institutions." It is not a problem because it is half the dose of tea. Booster shots are not banned even in countries that ban modern or under 30 years of age at the time of basic inoculation.”
Moderna's mass inoculation in December's booster shot seems to be a strategy for domestic supply and inventory exhaustion between Moderna and Samsung as a vaccine hub.