Vaccine Rollout in Sight... What Are the Pros and Cons of the '5 Types Introduced Domestically'?

Pfizer and Moderna Show Over 90% Effectiveness... Novavax Emphasizes 'Safety'

On the afternoon of the 9th, medical staff administered vaccines to training participants during a mock vaccination drill held at the Comprehensive Cancer Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The government will begin COVID-19 vaccinations starting on the 26th of this month. The vaccines to be imported include products from a total of five companies, including Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines currently authorized for use domestically. With growing interest in the five vaccines?Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen, and Novavax?this article compares the advantages and disadvantages of each vaccine ahead of the vaccination rollout.

AstraZeneca: Convenient Storage and Distribution... Lower Efficacy

The COVID-19 vaccine to be administered at the end of this month is AstraZeneca’s product. Starting from the 24th, 750,000 doses (1.5 million shots) of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be supplied sequentially. According to the previously announced vaccination plan, the AstraZeneca vaccine is likely to be given to residents and workers in nursing hospitals and care facilities.

AstraZeneca’s advantage is that it can be stored and distributed at 2 to 8°C, which means no special vaccination system is required.

However, there is controversy regarding its use in people aged 65 and older. The Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approved AstraZeneca’s vaccine for domestic use but included a cautionary note stating that “use in those aged 65 and older should be decided carefully.” Although safety has been confirmed, the number of elderly participants in clinical trials was insufficient to accurately assess efficacy, so vaccination decisions should be made on-site after monitoring conditions until additional data is obtained. The average preventive efficacy is also relatively low at about 70%.

Pfizer: Difficult Storage and Distribution but '95% Efficacy'

The Pfizer vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA) containing the virus’s genetic information. On the 3rd, special import approval was granted for about 60,000 doses (117,000 shots) to be introduced through the international project COVAX Facility, expected to arrive as early as the end of this month. These doses are planned to be administered to medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients.

Among the five vaccines scheduled for domestic introduction, Pfizer’s vaccine has the highest confirmed efficacy in clinical trials at 95%.

The challenge lies in its strict storage and distribution requirements. It must be stored at around -70°C, requiring an ultra-low temperature freezing system, and can only be administered at 250 vaccination centers nationwide. Once thawed and diluted, the vaccine’s effective period is only six hours.

Moderna: 94.1% Efficacy... More Favorable Storage than Pfizer

Moderna’s vaccine is also a nucleic acid vaccine like Pfizer’s. Although its efficacy is slightly lower than Pfizer’s, it still shows a high level of 94.1%. In terms of storage, it is better than Pfizer’s vaccine, as it can be stored at -20°C for six months. However, like Pfizer’s vaccine, it requires ultra-low temperature storage and must be administered at the 250 vaccination centers.

About 20 million doses are expected to be imported starting from the second quarter.

‘Single Dose’ Janssen, 66% Efficacy

Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, will also supply 6 million doses in the second quarter. The biggest feature of the Janssen vaccine among the five vaccines planned for domestic introduction is that it is the only single-dose vaccine.

It is also easy to store and distribute, remaining stable at 2 to 8°C for three months.

On the 29th of last month, Johnson & Johnson announced that the vaccine showed 66% efficacy in international clinical trials. Regionally, the efficacy was 72% in the United States, 66% in Latin America, and 57% in South Africa.

‘Safest Vaccine’ Novavax, 89.3% Efficacy

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is currently under contract negotiation by our government. There is discussion about using 20 million doses produced domestically by SK Bioscience.

The Novavax vaccine is made using a recombinant protein subunit method, similar to existing hepatitis B vaccines, and is considered to have the highest safety. Its efficacy is also high at 89.3%, not far from the 90% range shown by Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

It can be stored and distributed at 2 to 8°C, and its shelf life is 1 to 3 years, which is longer than other vaccines, making it usable for vaccinations next year as well.

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