Regarding the controversy over the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun said, "Considering the results of international organization verification and adverse reactions confirmed so far, we believe that there is no reason to stop the domestic AstraZeneca vaccination."
Prime Minister Chung sent an emergency directive today (19th) to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, reaffirming the government's policy, and ordered the quarantine authorities to quickly clear up their position on the safety controversy over the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Following reports of blood clots from overseas after vaccination of AstraZeneca and death, there were also cases of blood clots found among vaccinators in Korea, which led to increased anxiety.
Prime Minister Chung explained, "The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have announced the results of discussions with expert committees on the point that'AstraZeneca vaccination and blood clots are not related'."
He also emphasized, "However, given the situation that the AstraZeneca vaccination needs to be expanded continuously, the public should not have any doubts or anxiety about the safety of the vaccine."
Prime Minister Chung instructed, "Therefore, the KCDC should quickly convene the Vaccination Specialized Committee and thoroughly review the latest evaluation data and domestic adverse reaction cases with experts to clarify the position."
In addition, he urged the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to conduct a professional and scientific evaluation of the AstraZeneca vaccine's potential for causing blood clots, and to disclose the results transparently.
(Photo = Yonhap News)