Pfizer Vaccine Shipment of 250,000 Doses Arrives... Vaccinations for 75 and Older to Begin Next Month

Some Vaccination Postponement Cases Also Occur in Long-Term Care Hospitals

A shipment of 250,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from the United States, intended for vaccination of the elderly aged 75 and over, arrived at Incheon International Airport Cargo Terminal on the 24th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] On the 24th, 250,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the elderly aged 75 and over arrived in South Korea.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Team, out of the 13 million doses directly contracted with Pfizer, 250,000 doses arrived at Incheon Airport at around 7:45 a.m. on a UPS cargo flight 5x0196. These vaccines will be delivered directly to 22 regional vaccination centers nationwide without passing through an intermediate logistics center, and vaccinations will begin on the 1st of next month.

The total supply of Pfizer vaccines for the first half of the year is 3.5 million doses, with 250,000 doses arriving this month, followed by 3 million doses being introduced sequentially from next month through June. The government is surveying the vaccination consent rate among 3.64 million people aged 75 and over.

However, concerns have arisen as AstraZeneca vaccines are being administered to inpatients aged 65 and over in nursing hospitals starting from the day before, while Pfizer vaccines will be given to the general elderly population aged 75 and over starting next month.

As preference for the Pfizer vaccine, which has relatively fewer adverse reactions after vaccination, has emerged, some are hesitating to get vaccinated. According to the Promotion Team, the vaccination consent rate for those aged 65 and over in nursing hospitals is 75.2%, significantly lower than the 92.8% consent rate for those under 65 in the same institutions.

A nursing hospital official said, "As controversies over the efficacy and safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine have resurfaced, some inpatients with underlying conditions hesitate to get vaccinated," adding, "Medical staff recommend vaccination but cannot enforce it, so some cases of vaccination postponement occur."

As of midnight on the same day, the Promotion Team announced that 20,151 people had been vaccinated, with a total of 703,612 people having completed the first dose. Among them, 643,724 received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 59,888 received the Pfizer vaccine.

The number of suspected adverse reaction reports increased by 128 cases, totaling 9,932. Among the newly reported adverse reactions, one case was suspected anaphylaxis. The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea was 428, returning to the 400s after one day.

Meanwhile, a COVID-19 perception survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism from the 17th to 18th among 1,000 adult men and women aged 18 and over nationwide showed that 67.8% expressed willingness to receive the vaccine.

The main reasons for vaccination were prevention of family infection (79.8%), formation of social herd immunity (67.2%), and personal infection prevention (65.3%), in that order.

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