Hakim Djaballah
I was taken aback by the Sept. 13 article in The Korea Times, titled "Korea to begin COVID-19 vaccination drive on Oct. 11." The piece featured Jee Young-mee, the commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), who appears to be sounding alarms about COVID-19 despite the absence of any visible threats across the Korean Peninsula. For almost three years, SARS-CoV-2 has been endemic worldwide. Despite clear evidence from real-world data highlighting the failures of modern vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax to prevent infection and eradicate the virus, it is perplexing why the KDCA commissioner continues to advocate for additional rounds of potentially ineffective and hazardous COVID-19 vaccinations for the people of Korea.
In the early stages of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Korea effectively flattened the curve of infection to just a few cases per day. This success was achieved through a military-style operation that prioritized extensive testing alongside a carefully crafted schedule of quarantine and travel restrictions. However, the situation changed when former President Moon Jae-in began to weaponize public health as a political tool to secure the presidency for his party's chosen candidate. Although his political maneuvers ultimately failed, they contributed to a surge in daily cases, with the country recording over 30 million infections and a tragic death toll exceeding 30,000. Many of these deaths could have been prevented had politics and political greed not interfered during this critical public health crisis.
As we approach the fourth anniversary of COVID-19 vaccines, it's notable that Korea exceeded expectations in vaccination rates, achieving over 90 percent coverage among individuals aged 18 to 80 and older, who received the two scientifically validated doses. Unfortunately, this high national vaccination rate did not prevent the virus from spreading or reinfecting those already vaccinated. With the virus continuing to replicate, it inevitably accumulates genetic mutations, leading to new variants such as XEC, KS.1.1, and the recently dominant KP.3 in Korea. This situation highlights that additional vaccine doses, or booster shots, would likely have had little effect on the established equilibrium between humans and the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
With over 60 percent of the population already infected, more than 80 percent fully vaccinated with the two required doses, and over 10 percent receiving up to three booster doses, one might expect that the virus would be eradicated by 2023 due to collective immunity and vaccine efficacy among the inhabitants of this pseudo-island. Unfortunately, that is not the reality; the virus continues to coexist with us. We cannot win a war with poorly developed vaccine defenses. Fortunately, we have made some progress, largely due to the emergence of the weakened Omicron variant. These viruses do not depend on weather conditions and should not be feared during winter or holiday seasons.
Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals a clear trend: unvaccinated individuals and those aged 65 and older who received booster shots experienced higher death rates compared to their vaccinated peers in the same age group. This real-world data supports the necessity of initial COVID-19 vaccinations but falls short of justifying the need for additional booster shots for the population.
The science surrounding vaccines is clear: the COVID-19 vaccines were never subjected to human challenge trials during their development and regulatory approval processes. Accumulated epidemiological data highlight the shortcomings of these vaccines in decolonizing and sterilizing the nasal and oral cavities of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Furthermore, studies indicate that these approved vaccines do not provide mucosal protection. Despite this, the same vaccines continue to be used, with only minor modifications to the spike protein, misleading the public into believing in their "enhanced efficacy" against emerging variants. Recent scientific findings indicate that such tweaks are ineffective and warn against overwhelming the immune system, which could lead to adverse long-term effects and the potential emergence of novel immune-related diseases.
An aging country with the lowest birth rate in its history deserves better healthcare than what the KDCA commissioner is currently providing, especially when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccines, which pose risks to citizens based on unsubstantiated science. The fluctuations in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations are to be expected, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to circulate within our communities, making it impossible to avoid completely. The existing vaccines are not the solution; instead, they raise concerns about rising infections among those who are already vaccinated and boosted multiple times. Despite having several years to research and develop novel vaccines that offer mucosal immunity and effectively prevent viral colonization and transmission, the country's biotech industry has not succeeded in delivering such solutions.
A KDCA commissioner must possess the scientific and medical expertise necessary to understand, evaluate, and weigh the risks and benefits associated with any public health crisis, prioritizing the safety and well-being of the population above all else. Such a commissioner should be appointed based on merit, selected from among their peers, and must remain politically neutral, insulated from any political or undue economic influences that could lead to personal or financial gain. This embodies the essence of a public servant—someone who works for the benefit of others. The agency urgently requires a compassionate and competent commissioner who can serve as a humble public health advocate, dedicated to protecting the community and putting an end to the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination efforts that lack scientific merit.
Instead, the commissioner should prioritize the agency's efforts on gaining a deeper understanding of long COVID, an emerging health crisis that affects many individuals who report experiencing up to 200 different symptoms and various conditions, including lupus, cardiovascular disease, fibromyalgia, and cognitive impairment. The agency should convene clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to collaborate on strategies for managing the health of long COVID patients, who currently find themselves navigating this challenging condition in a state of uncertainty and without hope for a timely resolution.
Dr. Hakim Djaballah, former CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea, is an Algerian-born American molecular pharmacologist and technologist with expertise in virology and oncology. He sits on several advisory boards. He is the co-founder, president and CEO of Keren Therapeutics, a startup company dedicated to the science of aging. The views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.