Kim Woo-joo, professor of infectious diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital. Reporter Lee Young-ae “It has been proven through clinical trials that administering influenza and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time does not increase side effects or decrease effectiveness. “There are no side effects from simultaneous vaccination if administered equally to both shoulders.”
On the 14th, Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases, whom we met at Guro Hospital of Korea University in Guro-gu, Seoul, emphasized the need to get vaccinated in preparation for an unexpected COVID-19 resurgence. This means that now is the time to be most careful as people’s awareness has decreased. Professor Kim explained, “Due to the repulsion that has been suppressed over the past three years due to social distancing and wearing masks, there is a phenomenon of people becoming indifferent to personal hygiene.”
○ Recommendation to ‘get influenza and COVID-19 together’
Professor Kim recommended receiving two vaccines at the same time. The explanation is that since both vaccines have been sufficiently proven to be safe, there will be no side effects from simultaneous vaccination. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency also maintains that, medically, there is no problem with getting the shot in the same arm, but there is no problem with getting the shot in a different area to prepare for an unexpected situation and to leave a mark.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency began providing free influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations to the elderly on the 11th. Those aged 75 or older can be vaccinated from the 11th of this month, those aged 70 to 74 from the 15th, and those aged 65 to 69 from the 18th. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, children aged 6 months to 13 years who are at high risk of getting seriously ill from influenza can be vaccinated starting from the 20th of last month for those eligible for two doses, and those eligible for one dose from the 2nd of this month. Pregnant women also began receiving vaccinations from the 2nd.
In the case of the influenza vaccine, if you have an egg allergy, a cell culture vaccine was suggested as an alternative. Vaccines are divided into fertilized egg culture vaccines and cell culture vaccines depending on the method of growing the hospital virus. Professor Kim said, “Traditional vaccines (fertilized egg-cultured vaccines) have proven to be safe for a long time, but there is a possibility that mutations may occur during the process of growing the virus.” He added, “The cell culture method will be an alternative for people who have had difficulty getting the flu vaccine.” He explained. SkyCellflu vaccine developed by SK Bioscience is a representative cell culture vaccine.
○Prepare for a resurgence of COVID-19
Professor Kim’s position is that, like the national influenza vaccine vaccination project that has been implemented since 2002, the COVID-19 vaccination project needs to be established. He explained, “Influenza vaccination has been implemented at the national level for over 20 years and has become somewhat established among the elderly,” and “I have learned that if you get the free vaccination in early October when the temperature gets colder, you can stay safe in the middle of winter.” As of last year (winter season 2023-2024), the flu vaccination rate among seniors aged 65 or older in Korea was 82.2%, the highest in the world.
On the other hand, the COVID-19 vaccine was different. Vaccination began at the end of February 2021, and in the beginning, people were trying to get vaccinated, leading to a situation where the reservation system was paralyzed. However, as of last year, the vaccination rate has fallen sharply. As the fatality rate fell, people’s tension loosened. The COVID-19 fatality rate, which was close to 6-7% at the beginning of the epidemic, fell to 0.1%. In particular, after the Omicron mutation, the domestic COVID-19 fatality rate last year was around 0.05%, similar to the seasonal flu. Those under 50 years old fell to less than 0.01%. As of November 7 last year, the vaccination rate for people aged 65 and older was 26.7%. This is half of the 50% target of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s vaccination rate for the elderly last year. Professor Kim explained, “The creation of an atmosphere of not getting vaccinated is one of the reasons why COVID-19 briefly became popular in August of this year.”
Professor Kim then explained, “It is clear that the COVID-19 vaccination is the number one contributor to overcoming the pandemic crisis,” and added, “A resurgence may begin again at any time.” He also pointed out that in order to achieve an overall preventive effect through herd immunity, the number of people eligible for free vaccination must be increased. Currently, those eligible for free COVID-19 vaccination include the elderly over 65 years of age, those with weakened immune systems over 6 months of age, and those hospitalized or residents of facilities vulnerable to infection. Professor Kim emphasized, “Chronic disease patients and medical staff are missing,” and “The COVID-19 fatality rate among people over 80 is so high that it approaches 1%, so we need to be on guard.”
It was also pointed out that new mutant viruses may appear. Professor Kim explained, “Viruses constantly mutate through natural selection, so it is possible for them to spread again,” adding, “We will have to figure out their patterns over the next 3 to 4 years before we can know for sure.”
It is known that the virus that causes COVID-19 mutates at a faster rate than the influenza virus.
Reporter Lee Young-ae 0ae@hankyung.com
