Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives

The COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Center: a cornerstone for strengthening safety evidence for COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Korea: Na-Young Jeong, Hyesook Park, Sanghoon Oh, Seung Eun Jung, Dong-Hyun Kim, Hyoung-Shik Shin, Hee Chul Han, Jong-Koo Lee, Jun Hee Woo, Jaehun Jung, Joongyub Lee, Ju-Young Shin, Sun-Young Jung, Byung-Joo Park, Nam-Kyong Choi; Received November 16, 2023 Accepted February 22, 2024 Published online April 4, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0343 [Epub ahead of print]

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Abstract PDF: The COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Committee (CoVaSC) was established in November 2021 to address the growing need for independent, in-depth scientific evidence on adverse events (AEs) following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. This initiative was requested by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and led by the National Academy of Medicine of Korea. In September 2022, the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Center was established, strengthening CoVaSC’s initiatives. The center has conducted various studies on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. During CoVaSC’s second research year, from September 29, 2022 to July 19, 2023, the center was restructured into 4 departments: Epidemiological Research, Clinical Research, Communication & Education, and International Cooperation & Policy Research. Its main activities include (1) managing CoVaSC and the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Center, (2) surveying domestic and international trends in AE causality investigation, (3) assessing AEs following COVID-19 vaccination, (4) fostering international collaboration and policy research, and (5) organizing regular fora and training sessions for the public and clinicians. Causality assessments have been conducted for 27 diseases, and independent research has been conducted after organizing ad hoc committees comprising both epidemiologists and clinical experts on each AE of interest. The research process included protocol development, data analysis, interpretation of results, and causality assessment. These research outcomes have been shared transparently with the public and healthcare experts through various fora. The COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Center plans to continue strengthening and expanding its research activities to provide reliable, high-quality safety information to the public.

What are the strategies for national health security in preparation for the next pandemic?: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2024;15(1):1-2. Published online February 28, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2024.0056

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How to transform the medical care system after the COVID-19 pandemic: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(6):439-440. Published online December 28, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0382

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To combat COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics, public trust and communication are essential: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(5):329-332. Published online October 31, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0317

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How we can prevent a resurgence this year: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(4):233-234. Published online August 30, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0235

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Neglected issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(3):149-150. Published online June 30, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.14.3.01

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To become a more stronger and safer country: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(2):67-69. Published online April 28, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0105

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A framework for nationwide COVID-19 vaccine safety research in the Republic of Korea: the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Committee: Na-Young Jeong, Hyesook Park, Sanghoon Oh, Seung Eun Jung, Dong-Hyun Kim, Hyoung-Shik Shin, Hee Chul Han, Jong-Koo Lee, Jun Hee Woo, Byung-Joo Park, Nam-Kyong Choi; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(1):5-14. Published online February 28, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0026

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Graphical Abstract Abstract PDF

With the introduction of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) commissioned the National Academy of Medicine of Korea to gather experts to independently assess post-vaccination adverse events. Accordingly, the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Committee (CoVaSC) was launched in November 2021 to perform safety studies and establish evidence for policy guidance. The CoVaSC established 3 committees for epidemiology, clinical research, and communication. The CoVaSC mainly utilizes pseudonymized data linking KDCA’s COVID-19 vaccination data and the National Health Insurance Service’s claims data. The CoVaSC’s 5-step research process involves defining the target diseases and organizing ad-hoc committees, developing research protocols, performing analyses, assessing causal relationships, and announcing research findings and utilizing them to guide compensation policies. As of 2022, the CoVaSC completed this research process for 15 adverse events. The CoVaSC launched the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Center in September 2022 and has been reorganized into 4 divisions to promote research including international collaborative studies, long-/short-term follow-up studies, and education programs. Through these enhancements, the CoVaSC will continue to swiftly provide scientific evidence for COVID-19 vaccine research and compensation and may serve as a model for preparing for future epidemics of new diseases.

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How we will reach a safer community: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(1):1-4. Published online February 27, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0057

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Efforts to return to a normal society: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2022;13(6):391-393. Published online December 30, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.13.6.01

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What measures should be considered in this 2022-2023 winter season: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2022;13(5):313-315. Published online October 28, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0286

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Preparedness for the next wave of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2022;13(4):239-241. Published online August 31, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0240

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The neglected issues of global health security that we should prepare for in our society: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2022;13(3):171-173. Published online June 30, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0185

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Preparedness of primary care responses to the next pandemic: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2022;13(2):81-83. Published online April 29, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0136

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The COVID-19 Pandemic Memoir: Lessons for Future Challenges
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As the incidence of Omicron increases, so will the number of deaths: Jong-Koo Lee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2022;13(1):1-3. Published online February 28, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.13.1.01

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