Corona 19 vaccination finally begins on the 26th. Residents and workers under the age of 65 in nursing hospitals and nursing facilities nationwide will be the first to receive the first approved AstraZeneca vaccine in Korea. The government’s failure to secure vaccines early has led to the dishonor of being the world’s 102nd vaccinated country, but it is a historic moment in that it has taken the first step toward regaining a lost routine. It is fortunate that the consent rate is high enough that 93.8% of the first vaccination subjects (36,6959 people) expressed their intention to participate. However, it is not known whether this trend will continue after vaccination. The public’s anxiety about vaccines is also not serious. According to a survey by the Korea Social Opinion Research Institute, negative reactions such as ‘I will postpone vaccination and watch the situation’ (45.7%) and ‘I will not get the vaccine’ (5.1%) were more than half, with 50.8%.
This distrust of vaccines is largely brought about by the government and the ruling party. At the end of last year, when criticism poured out about the delayed response to the vaccine, Kim Tae-nyeon, the head of the Democratic Party, said, “After vaccination, side effects such as allergic reactions and facial paralysis are reported.” Confidence in the vaccine fell sharply as health officials moved back and forth over whether the AstraZeneca vaccine would be vaccinated for the elderly. In addition, in response to the opposition party’s request for President Moon Jae-in’s’No. 1 vaccination’, a ruling party lawmaker answered, “Is the head of the state the subject of the experiment?”
The government aims to form group immunity in November by completing the first vaccination for 70% of the people by September. Although the vaccination speed battle has to be unfolded, it is feared that mistrust of the vaccine will be an obstacle to the formation of collective immunity. The vaccine champion Israel is showing that the vaccine is the fastest way to end Corona 19 and return to daily life. Israel, where 49% of the population has completed the primary vaccination, is aiming for a full return in April.
Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun asked for participation, saying, “If the people distrust the vaccine and avoid vaccination, collective immunity is nothing but an illusion.” Rather than saying “trust the government” unconditionally, the vaccination confusion should be completely resolved so that the people voluntarily participate in the vaccination.
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
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