Anti-pneumonia vaccine recommended by expert

Social Affairs

Published: 14 Jun. 2022, 17:16 Updated: 14 Jun. 2022, 17:21

Anti-pneumonia vaccine recommended by expert

Jung Ki-suck, professor of pulmonary medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, speaks at a press briefing for Pfizer Korea's 2022 Vaccine Class on Tuesday at the Lotte Hotel Seoul in central Seoul. [PFIZER KOREA]

A top health expert called for people to get pneumococcal vaccines to guard against long Covid deteriorating into pneumonia.

Jung Ki-suck, professor of pulmonary medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, made the recommendation in a press briefing hosted by Pfizer Korea on Tuesday. Jung headed the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) in 2016-17, which is now called the KDCA.

According to KDCA data, Korea's total caseload of Covid-19 cases stands at 18,239,056 as of Tuesday, with 9,778 cases added overnight.

Long Covid refers to cases in which symptoms such as fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain continue or new symptoms show up more than four weeks after first being diagnosed. A study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports found that 80 percent of patients infected with Covid-19 suffered one or more long-term symptom of the virus.

Korea doesn't have official data on the number of patients suffering from long Covid. A study conducted at Kyungpook National University Hospital showed 80 percent of the surveyed patients had symptoms continue two weeks after diagnosis, 93 percent had symptoms continue after three months, and 66 percent had symptoms continue after six months. The government announced Friday that it will launch an investigation of long Covid on 10,000 people who recovered from Covid-19.

“Many Covid-19 patients here and abroad suffer from long Covid,” Jung said. “In particular, patients who have underlying diseases and who are older have greater risk of long Covid.”

Analyses of 10 longitudinal studies in Britain showed that long Covid reporting was highest among people aged 45 to 54 and 55 to 69 years, which were 4.4 and 4.5 times higher than the reference group aged 18 to 24 years, respectively.

According to Jung, respiratory infection was the leading cause of hospitalization for patients hospitalized with Covid-19 and long Covid. Of them, pneumonia was the number 1 problem, accounting for 77.2 percent of the total. Patients infected with respiratory viruses are more vulnerable to secondary infection of pneumococcal, Jung said, as their respiratory tissue is damaged and inflammatory cytokines are produced.

Jung added, “People aged 50 or older should consider getting vaccinated against pneumococcal disease as they have higher infection and fatality rates.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccinations for pneumococcal in its latest guidelines for elderly patients, those with chronic diseases and long Covid. The Netherlands and Spain's Andalusia region also advise pneumococcal vaccination for people who have had Covid-19 and suffered lung damage as a result, or critically-ill patients.

Currently, two pneumococcal vaccines are available for adults, including the 13-valent pneumococcal protein-conjugate vaccine and the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. The 23-valent vaccine is free for people 65 or older.

“Given that more than 20 percent of the population in Korea are 60 or older, more people are likely to suffer from long Covid than other countries,” the former KCDC chief said.

Jung also warned of another possible Covid-19 wave projected to come in the autumn, as the efficacy of mRNA vaccines — which were widely distributed in Korea — is around three months. In other words, even people who got their third or fourth vaccine shot, or have caught the coronavirus, may have to get the vaccine again in autumn.

“There is a high possibility of a Covid-19 resurgence this fall [...] and it is advised to get a pneumococcal vaccine as soon as possible or with a flu vaccine this fall,” Jung added.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]