Moderna Also Secures 56 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine... When Will They Arrive? (Update)

Moderna, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, COVID-19 vaccine (Jennicha Reuters=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol and Kim Heung-soon] As the government finalized a purchase contract with the U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna for 20 million doses of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, South Korea has secured a total of 56 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccines are scheduled to be introduced sequentially from the first quarter to the third quarter of next year.

On the 31st, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced in a briefing that it had completed an advance purchase contract for 20 million doses (40 million shots) of the Moderna vaccine. The initially planned purchase volume of the Moderna vaccine by the government was 10 million doses, but this has doubled. Earlier, the Blue House announced that President Moon Jae-in agreed to supply 20 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine during a video call with Moderna CEO St?phane Bancel on the 28th.

With this, the total officially secured COVID-19 vaccine doses in South Korea have increased to 56 million. Previously, the government completed supply contracts for 10 million doses with AstraZeneca, 6 million doses with Janssen, and 1,000 doses with Pfizer, and through the international project for joint vaccine purchase and distribution, the 'COVAX facility,' it agreed to receive an initial supply of 10 million doses.

Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the KDCA, explained, "The 56 million doses of vaccines purchased by the government exceed 100% of the total population of South Korea, which is sufficient to secure typical herd immunity."

The advance-purchased vaccines are scheduled to be introduced sequentially starting with AstraZeneca in the first quarter of next year, Janssen and Moderna in the second quarter, and Pfizer in the third quarter. The supply timing of the Moderna vaccine has also been moved up from the previously expected third quarter.

Commissioner Jung said, "Since the domestic COVID-19 outbreak is ongoing, the government is continuously striving to advance the supply timing of vaccines." Regarding the vaccination schedule, she explained, "Vaccinations will begin in the first quarter (of next year), considering that two doses are required. The plan is to start in the second and third quarters, complete the first dose by the end of the third quarter, and after a certain period, finish the second dose."

The government plans to announce the vaccination plan currently being established in January next year.

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