Remaining COVAX AZ Vaccine Doses Introduced in First Half to Be Supplied Next Month
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] A total of 835,000 doses of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine supplied through COVAX will arrive in South Korea on the afternoon of the 13th. The government expects that by adding the individually contracted AZ vaccines and Pfizer vaccines scheduled for introduction in May and June to the COVAX supply, it will be possible to achieve the goal of "first-dose vaccination for 13 million people in the first half of the year."
The government-wide vaccine procurement task force announced on the 12th that 835,000 doses of the COVAX AZ vaccine are scheduled to arrive at 7 p.m. on the 13th. Since 7.23 million doses of individually contracted vaccines will be delivered from the 14th through early June, a total of 8.065 million doses of the AZ vaccine will be secured by June. The government stated that if an additional 5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine are added by next month, it will be sufficient to support the first-dose vaccination of 13 million people in the first half of the year.
Furthermore, among the total 2.102 million doses of COVAX AZ vaccines to be introduced in the first half of the year, the remaining 835,000 doses are expected to be supplied in June.
The AZ vaccines supplied through COVAX this time will be used for the second doses starting from the 14th and the first doses beginning on the 27th of this month. The first-dose vaccinations starting on the 27th will target seniors aged 60 to 74, patients with chronic severe respiratory diseases, teachers and caregivers at kindergartens, daycare centers, and elementary schools (grades 1 and 2), and childcare personnel.
The government proactively proceeded with administrative procedures to ensure that the COVAX vaccines are supplied domestically as quickly as possible. The government-wide vaccine procurement task force concretized the introduction schedule through consultations with the COVAX facility and relevant ministries, as well as cooperation from overseas diplomatic missions via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency requested emergency use approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety under the "Special Act on the Promotion of Development and Emergency Supply of Medical Products for Public Health Crisis Response." Considering that the vaccine is already in use domestically and internationally, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved emergency use after deliberation by the "Public Health Crisis Response Medical Products Safety Management and Supply Committee." Notably, this case is the first emergency use approval under the Special Act on Medical Products for Public Health Crisis Response.
Kwon Deok-cheol, head of the government-wide vaccine procurement task force, stated, "We will continue to make every effort to ensure the smooth introduction of vaccines through close communication with the COVAX facility so that herd immunity can be achieved by November."
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