• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.67-82
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• 2022

The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 led to inconsistent public health policies that resulted in COVID-19 containment failure. These factors resulted in increased hospitalization and death. To prevent viral spread and achieve herd immunity, the only safe and effective measure is to provide to vaccinates. Ever since the release of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleotide sequence in January of 2020, research centers and pharmaceutical companies from many countries have developed different types of vaccines including mRNA, recombinant protein, and viral vector vaccines. Prior to initiating vaccinations, phase 3 clinical trials are necessary. However, no vaccine has yet to complete a phase 3 clinical trial. Many products obtained "emergency use authorization" from governmental agencies such as WHO, FDA etc. The Korean government authorized the use of five different vaccines. The viral vector vaccine of Oxford/AstraZeneca and the Janssen showed effectiveness of 76% and 66.9%, respectively. The mRNA vaccine of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna showed effectiveness of 95% and 94.1%, respectively. The protein recombinant vaccine of Novavax showed an effectiveness of 90.4%. In this review, we compared the characteristics, production platform, synthesis principles, authorization, protective effects, immune responses, clinical trials and adverse effects of five different vaccines currently used in Korea. Through this review, we conceptualize the importance of selecting the optimal vaccine to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2022

The messenger RNA-based vaccine for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may induce glomerulonephritis, including immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). New-onset IgAN triggered by vaccination against COVID-19 has been reported rarely, especially in children. Herein, we report a pediatric case of newly diagnosed IgAN after administration of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19. A 12-year-old girl was referred to our hospital for evaluation of gross hematuria after inoculation with the second dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine; she had no adverse effects after the first dose. At the time of admission, she showed heavy proteinuria and persistent hematuria. Kidney biopsy revealed an IgAN, and she was treated with an oral steroid and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Four months after discharge, the proteinuria and hematuria resolved completely.

• Korean journal of aerospace and environmental medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2021

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccine is expected to play an important role in stopping the pandemic. Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19. Efforts to find an effective vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 have progressed unprecedentedly through active support from public research grants and private-public partnership programs. Clinical studies have been actively conducted, and some vaccines are being vaccinated with approval for urgent use. The WHO has approved and supplied the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. In Korea, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for urgent use, and vaccination began on February 26, 2021. In this paper, the efficacy and side effects of each vaccines and the effect on pilots and air traffic controllers related to COVID-19 vaccination were investigated in terms of aviation medicine.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2021

With this as a momentum of approval Pfizer vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019), it is changed to the era of vaccine rapidly. Most countries are trying to reserve effective vaccines and inoculate vaccines into high-risk populations for achieving community immunity. I reviewed several vaccine-related issues to be confronted for moving up to the end of COVID-2019: the efficacy and effectiveness of the approved vaccines, the priorities for vaccination into target groups, side effects, and distrust towards COVID-2019 vaccines. Evidence-based decision-making in the policy process and collaboration with professional groups are the most effective strategies for driving successful vaccination policy.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.957-967
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• 2023

Background: According to Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System data, generalized edema followed by the COVID-19 vaccine is uncommon, with only 333 reported cases, and of those, 224 (69%) are associated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Case report: A 76-year-old male patient with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction presented with spontaneous generalized edema and otherwise normal cardiac exams following administration of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccination that had lasted for approximately 60 days and was treated successfully using Korean medicine treatment. After the administration of Korean medicine treatment, the patient's symptoms in the bilateral limbs were dramatically controlled, without recurrence, for 2 months. As a result, generalized edema, which had been present for approximately 50 days, dramatically improved. Conclusion: This clinical case study suggests that a Korean medicine approach with Mokbangki-tang and Oryeong-san might be effective for the pleural effusion resolution of generalized edema after COVID-19 vaccination.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.265-290
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• 2023

Rare but serious thrombotic incidents in relation to thrombocytopenia, termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), have been observed since the vaccine rollout, particularly among replication-defective adenoviral vector-based severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine recipients. Herein, we comprehensively reviewed and summarized reported studies of VITT following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination to determine its prevalence, clinical characteristics, as well as its management. A literature search up to October 1, 2021 using PubMed and SCOPUS identified a combined total of 720 articles. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guideline, after screening the titles and abstracts based on the eligibility criteria, the remaining 47 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 29 studies were included. Findings revealed that VITT cases are strongly related to viral vector-based vaccines, which are the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (95%) and the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (4%), with much rarer reports involving messenger RNA-based vaccines such as the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (0.2%) and the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (0.2%). The most severe manifestation of VITT is cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with 317 cases (70.4%) and the earliest primary symptom in the majority of cases is headache. Intravenous immunoglobulin and non-heparin anticoagulant are the main therapeutic options for managing immune responses and thrombosis, respectively. As there is emerging knowledge on and refinement of the published guidelines regarding VITT, this review may assist the medical communities in early VITT recognition, understanding the clinical presentations, diagnostic criteria as well as its management, offering a window of opportunity to VITT patients. Further larger sample size trials could further elucidate the link and safety profile.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.269-282
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• 2023

Vitamin D participates in the biological function of the innate and adaptive immune system and inflammation. We aim to specify the effectiveness of the vitamin D supplementation on the side effects BioNTech, Pfizer vaccination, and immunoglobulin G response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in subjects tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this multi-center randomized clinical trial, 498 people tested positive for COVID-19 were divided into 2 groups, receiving vitamin D capsules or a placebo (1 capsule daily, each containing 600 IU of vitamin D) over 14-16 weeks. Anthropometric indices and biochemical parameters were measured before and after the second dose of vaccination. Fourteen to 16 weeks after supplementation, the intervention group had an immunoglobulin G (IgG) increase of 10.89 ± 1.2 g/L, while the control group had 8.89 ± 1.3 g/L, and the difference was significant between both groups (p = 0.001). After the second dose of vaccination, the supplement group significantly increased their 25-hydroxy vitamin D from initially 28.73 ± 15.6 ng/mL and increased to 46.48 ± 27.2 ng/mL, and the difference between them was significant. Those with a higher body mass index (BMI) had the most of symptoms, and the difference of side effects according to BMI level was significantly different. In 8 weeks after supplementation obese participants had the lowest IgG levels than overweight or normal subjects. The proportion of all types of side effects on the second dose was significantly diminished compared with the first dose in the intervention group. Supplementation of 600 IU of vitamin D3 can reduce post-vaccination side effects and increase IgG levels in participants who received BioNTech, Pfizer vaccine.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.202-206
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• 2023

Today, social media has become a vital tool. The world communicates and reaches the news and each other's opinions through social media accounts. Recently, considerable research has been done on analyzing social media due to its rich data content. At the same time, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has afflicted so many around the world, the search for a vaccine has been intense. There have been many studies analyzing people's feelings during a crisis. This study aims to understand people's opinions about available Coronavirus vaccines through a learning model that was developed for this purpose. The dataset was collected using Twitter's streaming Application Programming Interface (API) , then combined with another dataset that had already been collected. The final dataset was cleaned, then analyzed using Python. Polarity and subjectivity functions were used to obtain the results. The results showed that most people had positive opinions toward vaccines in general and toward the Pfizer one. Our study should help governments and decision-makers dispel people's fears and discover new symptoms linked to those listed by the World Health Organization.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.124-139
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• 2022

Objectives: This study examined the effectiveness of Korean medical treatment for two patients complaining of discomfort after receiving Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: The patients were hospitalized for 50 days and 12 days, respectively. They were treated with herbal medicine, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and moxibustion. We used the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) on numbness in extremities and headache, Manual Muscle Testing Grading System (MMT), Criteria for Sweating Categorization, and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to evaluate the clinical effects of the treatment. Results: In Case 1, headache improved from peak NRS 9 and average NRS 7 on admission day to both NRS 3 on discharge. The SF-36 score was also increased, suggesting that the quality of life was improved. In Case 2, numbness in the extremities improved from NRS 8 on the day before admission to NRS 2 on discharge, and general condition also improved. Conclusions: This study suggests that Korean medicine can be an effective treatment for patients who experience long-lasting discomfort after being vaccinated with COVID-19, but with no abnormal findings in the examination.

• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.113-128
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• 2021

In this study, we aimed to understand the public opinion on COVID-19 vaccine. To achieve the goal, we analyzed COVID-19 vaccine-related Twitter posts. 45,413 tweets posted from March 16, 2020 to March 15, 2021 including COVID-19 vaccine names as keywords were collected. The 12 vaccine names used for data collection included 'Pfizer', 'AstraZeneca', 'Modena', 'Jansen', 'NovaVax', 'Sinopharm', 'SinoVac', 'Sputnik V', 'Bharat', 'KhanSino', 'Chumakov', and 'VECTOR' in the order of the number of collected posts. The collected posts were analyzed manually and automatedly through keyword analysis, sentiment analysis, and topic modeling to understand the opinions for the investigated vaccines. According to the results, there were generally more negative posts about vaccines than positive posts. Anxiety about the aftereffects of vaccination and distrust in the efficacy of vaccines were identified as major negative factors for vaccines. On the contrary, the anticipation for the suppression of the spread of coronavirus following vaccination was identified as a positive social factor for vaccines. Different from previous studies that investigated opinions about COVID-19 vaccines through mass media data such as news articles, this study explores opinions of social media users using keyword analysis, sentiment analysis, and topic modeling. In addition, the results of this study can be used by governmental institutions for making policies to promote vaccination reflecting the social atmosphere.