“Development of 1st Coronavirus Vaccine is a Miracle”
On 27th July, Cheonji Ilbo (Cheonji Daily) published an article in Korean entitled, “Development of 1st Coronavirus Vaccine is a Miracle”. This is a translation of that report.
[Cheonji Ilbo, Cheonji TV = Reporter Ji-ye Lee] At the end of last June, Korea's first coronavirus vaccine was birthed. The development of Korea's first vaccine is a miracle. With this, the Republic of Korea has developed both a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19.
(Interview│Woo-Joo Kim, Director of Center for Vaccine Innovation, Korea University College of Medicine)
“Right now, developing a vaccine is not so easy because it costs 1-2 trillion Korean won (£650 million-£1.3 billion) to develop a new vaccine every 10 to 20 years. Yet the fact it has been done in such a short period of time is nothing short of a miracle. Sending a lunar probe to the moon or having people walk on the surface of the moon doesn't happen overnight.”
In order for a vaccine to receive final approval, it must go through a clinical stage and prove its efficacy as a vaccine in the process. For this, a serum that measures 'neutralising antibodies' is required. This is also called a national standard material.
However, this has not been easy to obtain.
(Interview│Woo-Joo Kim, Director of Center for Vaccine Innovation, Korea University College of Medicine)
“It is a 'ja-de child' ('very precious child') which has been birthed in collaboration with the private sector, industry, and the government. Vaccine development costs a lot of money, effort, and time; more so in clinical trials than in animal trials. It was difficult to find volunteers. Because many people had already received a lot of mRNA vaccines, it was difficult to find people who weren't already immunised.”
In the early stages of COVID-19, about 4000 members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony donated blood plasma, and some of them played an essential role in the clinical stage.
Their plasma accounted for 91.3% of the total plasma donors (4096) as of the end of 2020.
(Interview│Woo-Joo Kim, Director of Center for Vaccine Innovation, Korea University College of Medicine)
“Since it is a novel virus and a freshly made vaccine, there are no standard serum or antibodies. Indeed, if there is more than a certain amount of neutralizing antibodies, this can be prevented. There is no such unified standard. Each country is different.”
Shincheonji members' plasma played a key role in proving vaccine efficacy.
(Interview│Junwoo Lee, Director of Division of Vaccine Clinical Research, Researcher at the National Institute of Health and Care Research of the Korea Center for Disease Control)
“If this vaccine is effective, it is a positive control material that should produce this level of neutralizing antibodies. Its high efficacy could not have been achieved without the blood plasma, which has been used by SK Bioscience until now. Production of the 2nd and 3rd stages have been completed, so that it can be used for ongoing clinical trials or basic research. 500ml of blood was drawn once per person, and is something that was not possible in the case of general hospitalised patients. It helped us a lot because they provided us with what we could not have acquired in such a short period of time.”
This large-scale blood donation by Shincheonji members was possible because Chairman Man-hee Lee encouraged congregants to donate their plasma and blood, at a time when Shincheonji was undergoing search and seizure amid a harsh social climate which attributed the cause of the coronavirus outbreak from China to Shincheonji.
Chairman Lee's urging to set an example as religious believers led to a voluntary large-scale blood donation in the midst of a national blood crisis that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Until last April, the blood reserve was less than 5 days' supply, but thanks to the explosive participation of Shincheonji members donating blood, the crisis was solved.
The blood donation campaign, which set a target of 6,000 donors, achieved 18,000 donors in 16 days, and was certified by the Korea Record Institute and was awarded the Red Cross commendation.
Shincheonji members set two records that were certified by the Korea Record Institute: 'The largest number of blood donors (18,819) by a single organization within the shortest time (17 days)' and 'The largest number of gifted blood donation vouchers (32,324) by a single organization'.
In addition, Shincheonji Church of Jesus received the presidential commendation of the Korean Red Cross for its exemplary blood donation.
This vaccine development was achieved through a degree of effort that can be likened to the moon-landing process.
Although leading vaccines have already been developed, a new vaccine needs to be developed that can be more widely distributed around the world.
Shincheonji said that it will continue to play a role as the light for society, with a potential further blood donation in the future.
In spite of their contributions and recognition, it is regrettable that Chairman Lee is currently a suspect in a coronavirus-related trial.
I hope that the commitment to give blood by Chairman Lee and his followers will continue to be of help in establishing a vaccine system in Korea and in distributing vaccines around the world.
===========================
Blogs and Reports on Shincheonji Church of Jesus' 'Live ON' Blood Donation Campaign, 18-30 April 2022, and resulting vaccine to treat Omicron and BA.5 mutant viruses in Korea
“The development of a coronavirus vaccine in 2.5 years is a miracle...We are grateful for public-private cooperation and your blood plasma donation”
Shincheonji's group blood donation campaign “solves the national blood crisis in Korea”
“Korea’s first vaccine to protect from the mutant variant”: Shincheonji's blood donation is a 'hidden gem'
First Covid vaccine in Korea “is possible thanks to the donation of blood plasma by Shincheonji members”
[Exclusive] Backdrop to the birth of the first vaccine in Korea...“Development would have been difficult without Shincheonji's blood plasma donation”
Shincheonji responds to 'slander and persecution' with 'love'
Shincheonji Church of Jesus receives commendation from the Chairman of the Korean Red Cross for 'blood donation by 18,000 congregants'
886 Shincheonji Church Philip tribe members participate in 'Live ON' blood donation campaign (April 2022)
Shincheonji Wonju Church, 'Live ON' blood donation campaign (April 19, 2022)
Shincheonji Church of Jesus' 31,000 blood donation cards and donor rights, equivalent to 110 million Korean won (£70,000), waived and gifted
[Special Issue] Shincheonji 'Live ON' blood donation campaign: “Thank you for stepping in during a national crisis”
[Special Issue] Pictures of Shincheonji 12 Tribes Blood Donation
Target of 6,000 blood donors achieved within 3 days: Shincheonji's 'miraculous group blood donation'
[Interview] “I've given blood more than 500 times, but this group blood donation by Shincheonji was unique”
Shincheonji 'Live ON' blood donation campaign: “This is the first time in 30 years working at Gyeonggi Blood Donor Centre that I've witnessed a nationwide blood donation as impactful as that of Shincheonji Church''
Blood Donation to Overcome COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea
0 comments