■ Please indicate the program name’JTBC Morning&’ when reporting quotes. Copyright belongs to JTBC.
■ Broadcast: JTBC Morning & / Progress: Lee Jung-heon
On December 8, last year, it has been more than two months since the world’s first COVID-19 vaccination began in the UK. Currently, vaccination is available in over 70 countries around the world. Israel is the country with the number one COVID-19 vaccination rate relative to the population. Israel, which started vaccinating Pfizer on December 19 last year, has been vaccinated more than once, about 3.87 million people, or 43.7% of the population, so far. The number of new confirmed cases per day is showing a marked decline from 6,010 on the last 10 days to 2,534 on the 14th. Accordingly, the Israeli government is starting to bring people back to life. General stores, shopping malls, markets, etc. will be normalized from the 21st. It is available to everyone with or without vaccination. Some kindergartens and elementary schools have already started in-person classes. Let’s hear what an Israeli student said.
[이스라엘 학생 : 학교로 돌아와서 정말 재미있습니다. 코로나가 거의 끝나가고 있고 우리가 함께 모여 정상적으로 생활할 수 있어서 정말 기쁩니다.]
Some countries have started vaccination against Corona 19 from yesterday (17th). In the meantime, Israel, accused of deliberately blocking the supply of vaccines in Gaza, allowed the supply of vaccines in Gaza after controversy. Yesterday we delivered 2,000 doses of Sputnik V, a Russian vaccine, to Gaza. Pfizer vaccinations began yesterday in Colombia and Japan. Both countries have prioritized medical staff. The 1st inoculation in Japan became the director of the Tokyo Medical Center, and the 1st inoculation in Colombia became the head nurse in a university hospital. Let’s listen to the President of Colombia.
[이반 두케/콜롬비아 대통령 : 오늘은 코로나19를 물리치는 새로운 장이 시작되는 날입니다. 전국적으로 대량의 안전하고 효과적인 무료 백신 접종이 시작됩니다.]
However, there are still many challenges to be solved when it comes to vaccine supply around the world. Mexico’s president has raised the issue of the imbalance in the supply of COVID-19 vaccines between countries to the UN Security Council. There are criticisms that advanced countries such as the United States and Europe are preoccupying the vaccines, such as giving their citizens a priority vaccine. In this gap, China and Russia are focusing on supplying their own vaccines to developing countries. Analysts say they are increasing their influence through vaccine diplomacy. On the other hand, in Peru, it was revealed that high-ranking officials, including former presidents and ministers, broke the vaccination sequence and secretly received the vaccine in advance. The so-called’vaccine cutting’ controversy is growing. Let’s take a closer look at the current status of vaccinations around the world, the problems to be solved, and with experts. In-Taek Chae Connected to the JoongAng Ilbo by telephone.
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Let’s start with the issue of imbalances across countries in vaccine supply. Researchers at Duke University in the United States say that low-income countries will have to wait until 2024 to get the vaccine. It also came up with such a gloomy prospect. Current supply and demand imbalance, how serious is it?
At this point, 181 million doses have been administered in 79 countries around the world. That’s 6.41 million times a day. At this rate, 75% of the world’s 7.8 billion people are hit twice per person, so it would take at least 5 years to secure immunity. If so, it means that we could go much further back than in 2024. On the other hand, countries such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK, which were previously reported, are being vaccinated at a very fast pace. For this reason, it is expected that collective immunity can be sufficiently secured this year and now early next year. Some countries haven’t even started yet, while others secure collective immunity. It can only be a very problem in the current global situation. And it doesn’t really work. Koreans have secured immunity, but they cannot go to other countries. I cannot accept people from other countries. I am also skeptical that this is really effective.
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Still, what is hopeful is that there are many different and many vaccine developments still going on? How is vaccine development around the world?
That’s right. In addition to the important vaccines we know right now, 69 have entered clinical trials. Clinical trials are for humans. Among them, 20 are in phase 3 clinical trials to finally compare the efficacy. 89 of them are now being tested in the laboratory for effects on animals. Looking at it now, it is being done in many countries around the world. Korea is also currently conducting phase 1 and phase 2 at SK Science. Iran and Cuba are also doing it. And also hopefully, there is a vaccine that Johnson & Johnson of the United States is developing with Janssen, Belgium. It doesn’t have to be twice, it just needs to be hit once. After production is completed, the facility is capable of producing hundreds of millions of batches within a few months and supplying them to the world. In many ways, very promising situations are emerging from laboratories and laboratories.
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You gave me a brief explanation in the front as well. So, when can we reach the state of collective immunity globally?
If it looks like the fastest US right now, President Biden told people this at a town hall meeting on the 16th. In the United States, 600 million batches by July. In other words, 300 million servings will be inoculated and return to daily life will be possible during Christmas. The United States is expected to do so by December. But if you want to go to other countries around the world, you have to talk about living together in a truly enormous multilateral UN, and create a system of cooperation with each other so that vaccines are shared and used, and now they are used equally. Only then will the global state of collective immunity be possible in a few years.
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On the 16th, the World Health Organization’s WHO announced last week that the number of new corona19 confirmed cases around the world was 2.7 million, a 16% decrease from the previous week. The number of new confirmed cases around the world peaked in early January and has been declining for five consecutive weeks. Foreign media analyzed that the vaccination was working. On the day the world’s first COVID-19 vaccination began, the UK health minister said it now appears to be a ray of light at the end of the tunnel. We hope that we will be able to reach the end of the long dark tunnel called Corona 19 as soon as possible by following the light that becomes the milestone.
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