NA urges for more COVID-19 vaccine, MOHW to take a survey

Lawmaker Kang Giyun “MOHW allocated no budget for vaccine procurement next year”

MOHW “Can get access to sufficient doses of vaccine, in negotiation with AstraZeneca and Pfizer”

MFDS “Self-testing kit not possible, only 2 professional testing kits are approved at the moment”

The National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee pressured the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) to focus their capacity to seek access to investigational COVID-19 vaccines around the world.

 

Also they ordered the South Korean government to extinguish the people’s concerns about the vaccines by proactively disclosing the corporate collaboration and contract information with a developer.

 

MOHW then answered the ministry would put more efforts to get access to COVID-19 vaccine, while it would survey the people’s perception on the immunization.

 

On Nov.

 

26, the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee convened a general meeting and deliberated the bills the first and second Bill Examination Committees reviewed with questions to the government officials.

 

People Power Party Lawmaker Kang Giyun pointed out the MOHW’s next year budget plan does not include the COVID-19 vaccine procuring cost.

 

The lawmaker also reprimanded the ruling party’s responsibility as the Budget and Accounting Evaluation Subcommittee allocated 965 billion won for procuring the vaccines, but the Health and Welfare Committee did not pass it.

 

Moreover, Lawmaker Kang raised an issue on the government signing the contract with AstraZeneca with 70-percent effective vaccine, when Pfizer and Moderna are developing 94.5-percent and 90.0-percent effective vaccines, respectively.

 

Also he criticized the government for neglecting to proactively announce the detail.

 

Lawmaker Kang said he cannot agree with the MOHW’s policy to generate herd immunity by procuring 30 million doses, which would cover 60 percent of the people nationwide, and advised the Ministries to focus on getting access to over 50 million doses for the people.

 

Lawmaker Kang urged, “I cannot comprehend the reason why the government would sign a deal with AstraZeneca, when its vaccine is less effective than Pfizer’s and Moderna’s.

 

The news of locally manufacturing the vaccine should have come from a ministry’s official channel, and not from a news media.

 

Inexpensive price is important, but the vaccine quality and efficacy are more crucial.

 

And I do not believe securing the vaccines for only 60 percent of the population would get us to reach herd immunity.

 

Please get access to enough vaccines.” MOHW agreed with the lawmaker’s criticism about the government should put more effort, and answered it would seek access to vaccines with the efficacy and safety as much as possible.

 

But also the ministry said it would soon conduct a nationwide survey to grasp the people’s perception on the COIVD-19 immunization and to fathom the reasonable doses of vaccines to procure.

 

Minister Park Neung-hoo of Health and Welfare explained, “We have contacted all companies actually capable of manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine, and we are currently negotiating terms and conditions with more than five companies.

 

The deal would be sealed by the end of this year or early next year.

 

The 70 percent effectiveness of AstraZeneca’s vaccine is an average from two testing groups, and as far as I understand the company is manufacturing the 90-percent effective vaccine.” The minister added, “AstraZeneca had an advantage in talking about the procurement contract, as the company manufactures significant amount in South Korea.

 

We would also get access to stable amount of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

 

Stocking too many doses of vaccine causes an issue of disposing unused ones.

 

Although we plan to take the responsibility until the end, we also plan to conduct a thorough survey on the national immunization.” With the third wave of COVID-19 cases in South Korea, with over 500 testing positive in a day, the lawmakers urged the government to approve of using a COVID-19 self-testing kit for the people to test the infection in the comfort of their home.

 

The government officials pleaded for the lawmakers’ understanding by explaining the current legal complications within the medical scene, where either a doctor or nurse has to take the sample for the testing.

 

People Power Party Lawmaker Kim Miae demanded the government officials to answer “why South Korea cannot use the self testing kit, when they can be used in the U.S.

 

with approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).” Democratic Party Lawmaker Shin Hyunyoung also ordered, “Raising the quarantine level higher due to the third wave of COVID-19 frustrates the people.

 

It would be difficult to provide it for all the people, but the government should consider expanding the use of rapid antigen testing kit in places with high risk of community infection, such as hospitals and army bases.” Minister Park answered, “In South Korea, the regulation on rapid testing kit defines the sampling of testing specimen as a medical practice.

 

Any healthcare institute with a doctor or nurse can test a subject, but self-testing by an individual is difficult at the moment.” The minister added, “Even in the U.S., children aged younger than 14 are regulated to must have a healthcare provider to sample the test specimen.

 

In Korea, the regulation allows the primary healthcare institutes to test COVID-19 infection, swiftly.” Minister Kim Gang-lip also elaborated, “The two testing kits with the market approval are all for medical professionals only.

 

The antigen testing kits require the testing specimen to be collected from deep inside of a nasal cavity with a tool.

 

Also the antibody testing kit requires blood to be drawn.

 

So providing access to self-testing kit would be unlikely.” The minister noted, “When a convenient self-testing kit product applies for the market approval, the ministry would review it based on safety and usability.

 

The FDA-approved self-testing kit also needs a doctor’s prescription.

 

Basically, only the specimen sampling can be done at home, after the doctor prescribes the testing kit.”