'500,000 Doses of Pfizer Vaccine Introduced in March, Half Arriving in Korea on the 24th'

Remaining half expected to arrive late March
'COVAX' AZ vaccine 345,000 doses transportation begins on 31st

On the morning of the 27th, when Pfizer vaccine administration began for medical staff treating COVID-19 patients, the Pfizer vaccine was thawing at room temperature in the vaccination room of the Central Vaccination Center at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The arrival schedule of COVID-19 vaccine doses planned for the second quarter has been confirmed. Half of the 1 million doses (for 500,000 people) of the Pfizer vaccine, procured through individual contracts, will be introduced first on the 24th of this month. Meanwhile, 690,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine secured through the vaccine joint purchase project 'COVAX Facility' are expected to arrive in the country in early next month.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Team announced the second quarter vaccine plan on the 17th. First, 500,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 5th, are scheduled to be introduced on the 24th of this month. This is part of the 1 million doses expected to be imported this month, with the remaining 500,000 doses expected to arrive consecutively in the last week of March.

The arrived Pfizer vaccines will be distributed to 22 vaccination centers nationwide. Starting from April 1, they will be used for vaccinations of seniors aged 75 and older, residents and workers of elderly care facilities, among others. Vaccine imports are expected to continue in April and May as well. However, specific arrival dates have not yet been notified.

Additionally, 690,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine (March shipment) procured through the COVAX Facility will begin transportation from the Netherlands on the 31st. UNICEF has also notified that transportation for 1.41 million doses scheduled for April and May will start on the 22nd of next month.

Considering the minimum 2 to 3 days required for customs clearance and transportation in Europe, the arrival in Korea is expected to be in early April for the 690,000 doses and late April for the 1.41 million doses.

This COVAX AstraZeneca vaccine is produced at SK Bioscience's Andong plant in Korea. However, as it is a vaccine listed on the WHO Emergency Use Listing, it will be exported to Europe first as part of the procedural steps for global supply through COVAX before being introduced domestically. The arrived vaccines will be used for vaccinations of residents and workers of nursing hospitals and facilities aged 65 and older.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Promotion Team, stated, “We will make every effort to ensure that the second quarter vaccination implementation plan can start safely and promptly by thoroughly preparing for distribution, storage, and pre-arrival preparations after the vaccines arrive domestically.”

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