"Quad will do, give me the vaccine" No... The game changer is 'Novavax'

"Show Alliance Trust to the US
Send Special Envoy to Untangle Complicated Issues"

"Novavax Vaccine Mass Production Possible
Consider Sputnik V in Case of Emergencies"

[Asia Economy reporters Chunhee Lee, Jihee Kim, correspondent Jongmin Baek in New York, reporter Jieun Lee, reporter Sunhee Son] On the 27th, senior figures and experts from various fields emphasized that while pouring national capabilities such as diplomatic power into securing COVID-19 vaccines, a more systematic quarantine should be implemented based on the secured data. They also assessed that South Korea could become a COVID-19 vaccine hub based on its vaccine contract manufacturing organization (CMO) capabilities. In particular, there was a forecast that the Novavax vaccine, scheduled to be produced domestically, could act as a 'game changer' that would change the domestic vaccine supply situation.

"Efforts Needed in the ROK-US Alliance Relationship"

President Moon Jae-in attended the Climate Summit held via video conference at Sangchunjae in the Blue House on the 22nd and is listening to remarks by U.S. President Joe Biden. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Experts analyzed that the United States is likely to provide support in various ways from the perspective that "South Korea is part of the allied countries."

Shim Beom-cheol, head of the Center for Foreign Affairs and Security at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, suggested, "Since there are parts where the help of the U.S. administration is needed to secure additional quantities or to allow additional secured quantities to come in, efforts are needed to enable the U.S. to consider South Korea."

He added, "Rather than approaching simply like 'We will join the Quad, so give us vaccines,' trust as an ally must be shown. Even if we cannot mention China's human rights issues as Japan did or change the existing stance on North Korea, if meaningful progress can be made in advanced technology cooperation such as semiconductors, vaccine cooperation can also advance," he said.

It was also pointed out that during discussions, it is necessary for a responsible person with full authority, such as the Prime Minister, to bring all possible proposals to the negotiation table.

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said, "There are international rules regarding new patented products or intellectual property rights, so as the recipient, we must provide what we can. If necessary, conditions such as promising to quickly produce and supply through our strong bio-production capabilities may be attached," he said.

Kim Ki-heung, professor emeritus of economics at Kyonggi University, also said, "Our country's president or high-ranking officials must go and diplomatically resolve the vaccine issue," adding, "It is also effective to give negotiation authority to influential or expert figures and dispatch them as special envoys."

Thomas Byrne, chairman of the Korea Society, expressed the opinion that the ROK and the U.S. should strengthen health security following finance through vaccine swaps. Chairman Byrne explained, "Just as North Dakota in the U.S. decided to provide free vaccines to truck drivers coming from Canada, similar decisions could happen between South Korea and the U.S.," and added, "The U.S. and South Korea need to approach this with imagination."

Utilize South Korea's Vaccine CMO Capabilities

Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Baek Soon-young, professor emeritus at the Catholic University School of Medicine, said about the Novavax vaccine, "If the supply of raw and subsidiary materials is resolved, mass production is possible," and emphasized that South Korea should establish itself as a vaccine hub by utilizing its CMO strengths. Professor Baek analyzed, "If production starts in earnest from July to August, supply could be faster than the timing of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine imports," and added, "The recombinant protein method has a form similar to the spike protein of the virus particle, so it is expected to be effective."

He advised that while the approval for Novavax sales has not been decided, other vaccines such as Russia's Sputnik V should also be steadily monitored. Professor Baek said, "At present, since the quantity is sufficient, there seems to be no need to consider the Sputnik V vaccine," but added, "However, since CMO is being done domestically, it is necessary to consider introduction in preparation for unexpected situations such as Novavax vaccine not being approved."

There was also a point made that although vaccines are the key to drastically reversing the COVID-19 situation, quarantine should not be neglected. Masang-hyuk, vice president of the Korean Vaccine Society, said, "If vaccines are not stable, at least quarantine policies should be properly focused on, but the situation is shifting toward preemptive testing," and added, "Preemptive testing should be strengthened to reduce patient occurrence, but confirmed cases continue to appear."

Vice President Ma added, "Since epidemiological data exists, it is necessary to revise the approach scientifically rather than haphazardly, catching what needs to be caught and releasing what can be released."

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