Calls grow for excluding Chinese vaccine recipients from quarantine exemption

As Korea stages an uphill struggle against the fourth wave of Covid-19, some inbound travelers exempted from self-isolation after completing their vaccinations abroad have tested positive for the virus, rekindling a controversy over quarantine loopholes.

Distrust of Chinese Covid-19 vaccines continues to grow, as they account for half of the breakthrough infections among people who received vaccination abroad and enter Korea without a mandatory two-week self-isolation.

Starting from July, the government allowed those who have received Covid-19 vaccinations approved by the World Health Organization to enter the country without undergoing a two-week quarantine process.

The WHO has approved vaccines developed by Pfizer, Janssen Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covidshield, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

As of Wednesday, 10 out of 14,305 people who came to Korea after receiving WHO vaccines abroad tested positive in a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test conducted within one day of entering the country. Five of the 10 “breakthrough” infections were found among people arriving from the United Arab Emirates who had received Sinopharm's vaccine.

The high ratio of breakthrough infections from those inoculated with Sinopharm's vaccine has reignited the efficacy of Chinese-made vaccines as there are no known data on how effective these vaccines are against the Delta variant.

Health experts pointed out that the government should promptly respond as the nation has confirmed such breakthrough infections, demanding the authorities temporarily suspend the self-isolation exemption system to exclude Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines from the list.

The experts stressed that the government closely observes situations in countries that have inoculated its citizens with Chinese-made vaccines.

In Thailand, for example, 618 of the 67,348 medical staff who received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine from April to July tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.

Due to the continued breakthrough infections, the Thai government decided to cross-vaccinate with the AstraZeneca vaccine for those who recently received Sinovac as the first vaccine. The Thai authorities also plan to provide booster shots with AstraZeneca's vaccine for medical staff who had finished receiving Sinovac's vaccine.

Some Koreans have also pointed out that the situation in which China requires self-quarantine for three weeks upon entry even for vaccinated entrants, pointing out that it is not fair.

"It is questionable whether the self-quarantine exemption is necessary in a situation where the number of Delta variants is rapidly increasing," Professor Chun Eun-mi at Ewha Woman's University Medical Center said. "If the government does not self-quarantine them for two weeks, those arriving from abroad should at least undergo self-quarantine for a week and receive PCR testing considering the minimum incubation period."

Professor Chun also stressed that many breakthrough infections are occurring in countries that have received the Chinese vaccine.

However, government officials said they would review the self-quarantine exemption, stressing they need more time.

"I think it is necessary to evaluate the degree of risk of the current self-quarantine exemption system concerning overseas vaccinations." Ministry of Health and Welfare Spokesperson Son Young-rae said

Professor Chun stressed that it is necessary to prepare for the situation preemptively. "I don't think it is smart to take measures only after the nation confirms numerous breakthrough cases," she said.

Also, voices are growing for excluding additional countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Mongolia, which have inoculated many of their citizens with China's vaccine, from the self-isolation exemption program.

The government has excluded 21 countries, such as India, South Africa, Indonesia, and India, from the self-isolation exemption due to concerns over the possible spread of the Delta variant. As a result, travelers from such countries have to undergo mandatory quarantine regardless of receiving the vaccine.