South Korea to resume AstraZeneca shots for people over 30
Seoul, Apr 11 (EFE).- South Korea will resume the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people above 30 after health authorities temporarily suspended the use of the British pharma jab over safety concerns, authorities said Sunday.
The use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine will resume from Monday but not for those aged 30 or below, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
South Korea suspended the use on Apr.7 after growing concerns over a suspected link between the vaccine and unusual blood clot complaints at home and abroad.
The health agency said it decided to resume the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after weighing potential risks.
“As the COVID-19 vaccines play a crucial role in reducing the number of serious cases and deaths, the rollout (of AstraZeneca’s vaccine) should be resumed promptly,” said Yonhap news agency quoting a statement from a special committee on vaccinations.
The disease-prevention agency also recommended a surveillance system for the early detection and treatment of rare blood clots linked to the vaccines.
South Korea has reported three cases of clots in recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Two of the patients were in their 20s. The first case, registered in March, was of a woman in her 60s who died.
South Korea, one of the countries that have best managed its epidemic, expects to have 70 percent of the population inoculated by September and to achieve herd immunity by November.
But the problems in the global supply of the vaccine put those deadlines in doubt.
AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been given to 916,780 people, while 300,680 received that of Pfizer.
The number of people who have received two doses has reached 60,510.
According to KDCA, South Korea’s daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for the third consecutive day on Sunday.
The growing number of daily infections has sparked concerns over the fourth wave of the pandemic.
The country reported 614 more Covid-19 cases, including 594 local infections, raising the total caseload to 109,559, the KDCA said. EFE
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