Will the flu vaccine market rebound?

due to the lift the outdoor mask mandate today

Since the possibility of flu infection has increased due to the release of distance, it may be infected simultaneously with COVID-19

The flu vaccine market was down 25% last year

As the obligation to wear outdoor masks is lifted from today, attention is being paid to whether there will be a new change in the influenza vaccine market this year.

 

This is because the importance of flu vaccination increases as the possibility of flu infection, especially COVID-19, increases if taking off the mask.

 

Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom announced a change in the guidelines for wearing masks at a meeting of the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on the 29th of last month.

 

According to the announcement, the obligation to wear a mask outdoors will be lifted from May 2.

 

More than 50 people who are at high risk of infection do not have to wear masks except when watching rallies, events, performances, and sports games.

 

The lifting of the obligation to wear outdoor masks is also expected to change the flu vaccine market.

 

Recently, the flu vaccine market has drawn a sharp inflection line with COVID-19.

 

According to the MFDS, the flu vaccine, which was approved for national shipment in 2020, reached 30.4 million doses, up 20% from the previous year, but decreased to 28.56 million doses last year.

 

The industry expects that the return rate of flu vaccines will also increase by more than 10% this year.

 

This is because the number of consumers looking for a flu vaccine decreased as the flu incidence rate fell during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

According to the KDCA, the vaccination rate for the elderly was 73.0% last season (2020-2021), 12.0%p lower than the target vaccination rate of 85.0%.

 

The infant vaccination rate was 73.4% and 50.4% respectively for the first and second subjects, which were 6.6%p and 9.6%p lower than the target vaccination rate.

 

Experts predict that the possibility of catching the flu will increase if both social distancing and wearing masks are lifted this year.

 

If COVID-19 becomes an endemic disease, there will be more cases of both flu and COVID-19.

 

Kim Yoon-kyung, a professor of pediatrics at Korea University Ansan Hospital, said, "The probability of simultaneous infection will inevitably increase if the COVID-19 virus spreads again in a situation where there is a risk of infection because the influenza vaccine is not inoculated.

 

Currently, in the case of RS virus without a vaccine, cases of simultaneous infection with COVID-19 are quite confirmed, he said.

 

"In the case of simultaneous infection, not only the severity of the disease increases, but treatment can be very difficult due to quarantine problems." In a survey of 500 domestic medical staff conducted by Seqirus Korea, a specialized flu vaccine developer, 7 out of 10 respondents (69.4%) would become more important after the COVID-19 pandemic, and 94% recommended flu vaccinations to visiting patients.

 

Distrust of vaccines in general is pointed out as a decrease in the inoculation rate.

 

This is because the public's view of the entire vaccine has changed negatively as side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine have been reported.

 

Professor Kim said, "When concerns about certain vaccines grow, the other vaccines are avoided.

 

However, since the influenza vaccine has been safely inoculated for so long, the society is also emphasizing this point and finding ways to overcome concerns.

 

As influenza is a virus that can be as powerful as COVID-19 if antigenic mutations occur at any time, it is very important to prevent it with continuous vaccination."