Moderna Vaccine Arrives in Korea Next Week... First 55,000 Doses to Be Introduced (Update)

First Batch of 55,000 Doses Arriving Next Monday

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine from the United States will arrive in South Korea next week.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at the COVID-19 briefing on the 24th, "55,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are coming to Korea," adding, "They are scheduled to arrive at the airport next Monday (the 31st)." However, authorities explained that since procedures such as approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety remain, it will take more time before actual vaccinations can begin.

The Moderna vaccine was approved as the fourth vaccine in South Korea, following AstraZeneca (AZ), Pfizer, and Janssen. Since the Janssen vaccine has not yet arrived in the country, the order of introduction domestically is AZ, Pfizer, and then Moderna.

In particular, the Moderna vaccine gained attention recently at the Korea-US summit, where Samsung Biologics agreed to contract manufacture hundreds of millions of doses domestically starting from the third quarter. Samsung Biologics will be responsible for the 'fill and finish' process, which converts the vaccine bulk into the final injectable form.

The Moderna vaccines produced domestically are planned to be supplied worldwide. South Korea has contracted to receive 20 million doses (40 million shots) of the Moderna vaccine, but these are not domestically produced. Authorities plan to discuss with Moderna the possibility of importing the quantities produced by Samsung Biologics into the domestic market, considering distribution efficiency and other factors.

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