Prime Minister Jeong: "Vaccine Introduction in Q1 Next Year... Also Considering Additional Procurement Measures"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 15th, "The government is well aware of the public's concerns and worries, and we will meticulously plan and prepare at the inter-ministerial level to ensure that the pre-purchased vaccines are introduced on time from the first quarter of next year and that vaccinations proceed without any setbacks."

At the 1st COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Status Check Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Prime Minister Chung stated, "Last week, the government reported to the public the pre-purchase plan for 44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines confirmed through the Cabinet meeting."

He mentioned, "As confirmed cases surge and news spreads that the UK and the US have started vaccinations, there are voices demanding rapid vaccination, along with concerns about whether our vaccine procurement plan might face any disruptions."

He then promised, "As the head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, I will carefully and thoroughly oversee all situations from securing vaccines to vaccination so that the public does not have to worry."

Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "Although some countries have started vaccinations early due to the very serious COVID-19 situation, we will do our best to introduce the secured quantities as early as possible so that our targeted vaccination schedule is not delayed."

He added, "In addition to the quantities already secured, we will actively seek additional procurement plans focusing on safe and effective vaccines based on expert opinions."

Furthermore, he conveyed, "We are also closely monitoring the progress of domestic treatment developments in the final stages of clinical trials and are preparing measures to promptly utilize them for treating confirmed cases."

Having repeatedly pledged to ensure 'no setbacks from vaccine procurement to vaccination,' Prime Minister Chung instructed the activation of an inter-ministerial meeting, stating, "We will not leave vaccine and treatment-related matters solely to the ministries."

Prime Minister Chung plans to preside over this meeting once a week, which includes relevant ministries such as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jung Eun-kyung, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, to closely monitor related situations.

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