The pace of the Covid-19 vaccination program is accelerating in Korea.
Since late May, the health authorities allowed non-priority people to receive leftover Covid-19 vaccines, made available from canceled appointments or uses of low dead space syringes.
Just in three months after the vaccination started, over 10 percent of the Korean population have received at least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
With more vaccine rollouts, people started to talk about allowing “vaccination leave,” a paid leave on the day of the vaccination, or the next day to help workers cope with Covid-19 vaccination side effects such as fever, chills, and muscle pain.
In March, the health authorities announced a plan to provide vaccination leave for employees in the public sector. Other industries, including IT, retail, and finance, have already completed the discussion and followed suit.
However, the pharmaceutical industry that drew the most social attention with a Covid-19 vaccine and treatment development amid the Covid-19 pandemic is not eager to do the same.
Korea Biomedical Review has learned that most local drugmakers, except for several leading firms, were unenthusiastic about the idea of giving a paid leave for Covid-19 vaccination.
Among domestic pharmaceutical firms, GC Pharma took the quickest step. The company sent an e-mail to employees on May 25, saying it would offer two-day paid vaccination leave on the vaccination day and the next day. The paid leave will not use up individual annual leave, the company said.
Kolmar Korea and Boryung also started implementing the vaccination leave policy on May 27, when leftover vaccines were opened to non-priority people.
Employees at Kolmar Korea Holdings and Kolmar Korea can get one day of paid leave on the day of vaccination or the next day. Kolmar Korea’s subsidiary inno.N will also introduce the system but has not decided when to start it.
Boryung is the most aggressive in giving employees the vaccination leave. To encourage workers to get Covid-19 jabs, the company has been offering the paid vaccination leave to all employees since May 27.
Employees at Boryung who received a Covid-19 vaccine will get a two-day paid leave. If the vaccination requires two shots, they get a four-day paid leave.
Also, Boryung sent mobile delivery app coupons to workers inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines.
Yuhan Corp. introduced a two-day vaccination leave in June. If an employee has an adverse reaction, he or she can use one extra day for an extended break as the government recommended, the company said.
In March, the health authorities granted one day of leave the day after vaccination in the public sector, as adverse reactions of Covid-19 vaccines started within 10 to 12 hours after vaccination. We have announced plans to grant an additional day.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s decision on the vaccination leave is reportedly imminent, industry officials said. The announcement will be made either on Wednesday or Thursday, they said.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Dong-A ST are also reviewing the introduction, but the decision will take some time.
Unlike major pharmaceutical firms, small- and medium-sized drug companies rarely consider the possibility of giving a vaccination leave.
“We haven’t discussed it internally. We may follow suit after everyone else introduces it,” said an official at a drug company, which recently drew attention with functional foods. He complained that the company was lukewarm about the matter.
Another pharmaceutical industry official said the Korean drug industry does not adopt a new, advanced system actively, and the discussion over a vaccination leave was still at the initial stage.
“Just like last year when companies had to introduce a working-from-home system, each company will take a wait-and-see stance,” he said.