Government to Secure COVID-19 Vaccines for 30 Million People, Covering 60% of the Population (Comprehensive)

Disease Control Cheong to Establish Vaccine Immunization Implementation Plan by Next Month

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is presiding over the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The government is set to secure COVID-19 vaccines sufficient for 30 million people, equivalent to 60% of the Korean population. Initially, it will secure vaccines for 10 million people through the multinational consortium COVAX Facility (COVAX) and plans to acquire an additional 20 million doses through negotiations with global companies. Furthermore, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) will establish a vaccination implementation plan by next month to determine vaccination priorities.

On the 15th, the government announced these vaccine procurement plans regarding the "COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Plan" at a Cabinet meeting presided over by the Prime Minister.

First, the government will secure vaccines for 10 million people (20 million doses) through the multinational consortium COVAX. COVAX is a multinational alliance led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), aiming for equitable vaccine distribution covering 20% of the global population by the end of 2021.

For the remaining 20 million people (40 million doses), the government plans to secure vaccines through advance purchase agreements via negotiations with global companies. The selection of vaccines for advance purchase will be based on expert consultations considering factors such as safety and efficacy review results, price, platform, and supply timing.

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The global companies currently under negotiation include AstraZeneca, Novavax, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.

Im In-taek, Director of the Health Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "We are negotiating with these companies, but if companies develop superior vaccines in the future, we will activate additional negotiation channels and evaluate vaccine efficacy and safety with experts to consider advance purchase."

Director Im said, "Vaccines vary greatly," adding, "Experts will decide by considering whether the vaccine has price competitiveness and a safer platform." He also mentioned, "Since each vaccine type from AstraZeneca, Novavax, Pfizer, etc., is different, we are combining companies accordingly," and confirmed, "Negotiations are progressing."

Regarding AstraZeneca's recent suspension and resumption of clinical trials due to serious side effects, he explained, "Because vaccine safety and efficacy must be assessed, premature advance purchase contracts could be risky," and added, "Our vaccine procurement is not delayed compared to other countries."

To ensure smooth vaccine procurement, the government has authorized the KDCA to execute a budget of 172.3 billion KRW for advance purchase contracts. Director Im said, "About 40% of the budget goes to COVAX, and 60% is for negotiations with individual companies. Since COVAX requires agreements and payments by September, there is no possibility of unused funds. However, advance purchase negotiations with individual companies require safety and efficacy verification, so unused funds are possible. We have thoroughly discussed this with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and are reviewing support measures among related ministries."

Participation in COVAX requires a prepayment of $3.5 per dose. To join COVAX, the government submitted a letter of intent to join the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, which manages vaccine supply, on the 31st of last month. The government plans to submit a legally binding confirmation by the 18th of this month and make the prepayment by the 9th of next month.

Regarding criticism that this plan differs from Minister Park Neung-hoo's previous announcement to secure vaccines for over 70% of the population in phases, Director Im explained, "The goal remains to vaccinate over 70% of the population, with more than 60% secured through advance purchase," adding, "We considered both priority vaccination groups and herd immunity levels."

The government stated, "In addition to purchasing globally developed vaccines, support measures for domestic vaccine development are also being steadily implemented," and added, "All domestically developed vaccines are expected to enter clinical trials within this year." Last month, the government announced plans to support clinical trial costs for three domestic vaccine developers, including SK Bioscience, and is operating a National Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Support Center and a Corporate Difficulty Resolution Center to assist companies with challenges during clinical trials, such as patient recruitment.

Minister Park said, "We will do our best to secure safe and highly promising vaccines by mobilizing government-wide capabilities," and added, "We will also ensure full support so that domestic vaccine development proceeds without setbacks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.