SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean authorities said on Sunday they would go ahead with a coronavirus vaccination action this week after deciding to continue using the AstraZeneca PLC vaccine for all eligible people aged 30 and over .
South Korea on Wednesday suspended the supply of AstraZeneca shots to people under 60, as Europe looked into cases of blood clotting in adults.
People under the age of 30 will continue to be excluded from resumption of vaccinations on Monday because the benefits of the shot do not outweigh the risks for that age group, the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement.
Three vaccinated people in South Korea reported developing blood clots, a case linked to the vaccine, said Choi Eun-hwa, chairman of the Korea Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The case was a type of blood clot considered less severe than the type examined by European authorities, she said.
For most people, the risks of coronavirus are far more serious than the rare possibility of vaccine side effects, Choi said, adding that the best way to end the pandemic was to vaccinate everyone who can get it.
But she said, “the benefits are not as great for those under the age of 30, so we will not recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine for them.”
The benefit-risk balance of AstraZeneca stroke increases with age, as the risk of serious injury due to vaccination decreases and admission to ICUs prevented by vaccination increase sharply, according to the University of Cambridge’s Winton Center for Risk and Evidence Communication.
The drug manufacturer said its studies did not find a higher risk of clots due to the vaccine, of which millions of doses have been administered worldwide. The World Health Organization says the benefits outweigh the risks.
The global controversy over the effectiveness and side effects of some COVID-19 vaccines has caused some delays in South Korea’s vaccination campaign, which began in late February in order to boost the population’s immunity in November.
The second-quarter immunization program includes special teachers for schoolchildren with disabilities and vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities and the homeless, KDCA said.
Reporting by Josh Smith; Edited by Kim Coghill and William Mallard