Moderna Supply Resumes, "Vaccination for 50s as Scheduled"... Thorny Road to 'Herd Immunity' (Comprehensive)

Moderna Vaccine Supply Resumes Next Week
"Disclosure of Quantity Requires Review of Confidentiality Agreement Status"
Breath of Relief for 50s Vaccination... "No Change in Plan for Ages 18-49"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] A significant portion of the COVID-19 vaccine doses that Moderna, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, failed to supply this month due to production issues will arrive in South Korea next week. Accordingly, the government plans to proceed with the vaccination schedule as planned, including for people in their 50s, whose schedule was feared to be disrupted, as well as the vaccination for those aged 18-49 next month.

However, due to the delay in Moderna vaccine supply, it has become difficult to import the targeted 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this month. Although the government confidently stated, "From the second half of the year, we will supply vaccines faster and in larger quantities," it seems to have stumbled from the very first month.

On the 26th, when COVID-19 vaccinations began for those aged 55 to 59, citizens visiting the vaccination center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, received their vaccines. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

◆ Moderna vaccines to arrive again next week = Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said at the COVID-19 regular briefing on the 28th regarding the supply disruption of Moderna vaccines, "Last night, the Minister of Health and Welfare of our country held discussions with Moderna’s head of production and vice president about vaccine supply," adding, "Moderna agreed with our government to prioritize supplying a significant portion of the previously postponed doses next week and to supply the August doses without disruption." This discussion was held via video conference at the request of our government to discuss countermeasures related to Moderna’s notification on the 23rd of postponing July supply. However, he said, "Details such as the exact supply volume and delivery dates are currently under follow-up practical discussions," and "We are also discussing whether this falls under confidentiality agreements, so it is difficult to disclose at this time. We will disclose any progress when available."

Accordingly, authorities explained that there will be no disruption to the vaccination schedule. Son said, "Considering the overall vaccine volume comprehensively, there is no need to change the current vaccination plan for people in their 50s," and "There is no change in the plan to complete the first dose for the general public aged 18-49 from August to September, and detailed reservations and vaccination schedules will be announced comprehensively this Friday (the 30th)."

The possibility of the government taking legal action regarding this supply disruption is low. Son explained, "Supply schedules are based on monthly, half-yearly, and yearly contracted volumes, so whether legal action is possible for this change needs further review," adding, "Fundamentally, there are only a few vaccine suppliers worldwide, while many countries request purchases to receive supplies, so this relationship must also be considered."

There is also speculation that next week, more doses of Moderna vaccines will be supplied than the total amount introduced so far (1,152,000 doses). Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a radio interview that "Through negotiations between the government and Moderna, about 1.3 to 1.4 million doses will be provided next week, and 8.5 million doses are scheduled to arrive as planned in August." Regarding this, Son said, "There are figures currently being discussed practically, but follow-up negotiations are needed, and whether this is subject to confidentiality agreements also needs to be discussed with Moderna," emphasizing, "At present, it is difficult to disclose the exact volume."

◆ July import target of 10 million doses falls short by 10% = According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 2,679,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines arrived at Incheon Airport this morning. Pfizer vaccines have been arriving sequentially every week this month: 627,000 doses on the 7th, 799,000 doses on the 14th, and 1,866,000 doses on the 21st, totaling 5,971,000 doses (excluding Korea-Israel vaccine swap volumes). However, Pfizer is the only supplier providing a steady amount. This month, AstraZeneca vaccines amounted to 1,188,000 doses, and Moderna vaccines only 1,040,000 doses. Including 101,000 doses of Janssen expected to arrive on the 29th, the total July import volume is 9.08 million doses, about 1 million doses less than the original target.

Although the immediate crisis has been averted, the outlook for remaining vaccine supplies is not entirely optimistic. Since Moderna mainly relies on contract manufacturing, there remains a risk of supply instability recurring. The 40 million doses contracted for Novavax vaccines have been delayed from approval. Novavax recently informed our government that it is unlikely to apply for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization by September. Even if they apply in October, domestic separate approval procedures must be followed, which could further delay actual vaccinations.

◆ Increased need for booster shots and adolescent vaccinations = In South Korea, the need for booster shots is growing in response to the rapid spread of variant viruses and increased breakthrough infections. Authorities are considering implementing booster shots starting in October for those vaccinated earlier this year. Efforts to expand COVID-19 vaccination to adolescents are also active. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety changed the approval for Pfizer vaccines on the 16th to allow use for those aged 12 and older, and the day before yesterday, it began the review process to expand the age range for Moderna vaccines as well.

Since vaccine supply must continue beyond the fourth quarter, when the "70% vaccination of the population" becomes visible, there are calls to accelerate additional vaccine procurement. Professor Chun Eun-mi of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Ewha Mokdong Hospital emphasized, "After the recent Moderna supply issue, there remains a possibility that other vaccines may not arrive as planned," adding, "Booster shots will be necessary from the end of the year when the second dose for the entire population is completed, so additional contracts must start now."