Novavax Vaccine Available for Vaccination from Mid-Next Month ... Cross-Vaccination Also Planned (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The government will begin administering the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine starting next month. Priority will be given to high-risk adults who have not received their first or second doses.

On the 28th, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team announced that they are preparing in advance to start Novavax vaccine administration from mid-February.

This vaccine is the fifth COVID-19 vaccine approved domestically, developed by the U.S. company Novavax and produced by SK Bioscience and others. It received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 12th of last month and is scheduled to be supplied from the second week of next month. The Novavax vaccine administered in Korea is produced at SK Bioscience’s factory in Andong, Gyeongbuk, distributed in single-dose vials, and can be stored refrigerated (2?8°C) for up to five months.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s approval conditions, Novavax vaccination will focus on first and second doses for unvaccinated individuals aged 18 and over. Among those 18 and older, vaccination will first be given to unvaccinated high-risk groups such as ▲patients admitted to medical institutions or nursing hospitals ▲residents of nursing facilities ▲and those with mobility difficulties including homebound elderly and severely disabled individuals. Vaccination will begin in mid-February through on-site facility vaccinations or medical staff visits.

In addition to these high-risk groups, unvaccinated individuals aged 18 and over who wish to receive the vaccine will be able to start vaccination later through online reservations and medical institution standby lists.

The Promotion Team also plans to establish implementation guidelines allowing exceptional cross-vaccination with the Novavax vaccine for those who initially received messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines such as Pfizer or Moderna but cannot continue vaccination due to medical reasons.

Detailed plans will be announced in the second week of next month when the initial supply of Novavax vaccines arrives. Earlier, on the 7th, health authorities announced plans to vaccinate 3.5 million unvaccinated people with the Novavax vaccine.