Daegu City's Push for Vaccine Introduction... Government Says "Not a Normal Channel, Pfizer Considering Legal Action" (Update)

"Not a normal path and not available for supply"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Regarding Daegu City's plan to independently procure 30 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, the government stated that "this is not a legitimate channel and supply is not possible." It was also reported that Pfizer is investigating the authenticity of the matter and is considering legal action.

On the 2nd, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a regular COVID-19 briefing, "After inquiring with Pfizer headquarters, we received a response that Pfizer alone holds the distribution rights for South Korea and that the vaccine will not be supplied through other channels."

He added, "Although further verification is needed, it has been determined that this is not a legitimate channel, and it has been confirmed that supply is not possible. Regarding other proposed product groups, Pfizer is investigating their authenticity and has conveyed that, depending on the findings, they may take legal action."

Earlier, Daegu City announced that it was pursuing a separate contract with the MedCity Daegu Council to procure Pfizer vaccines. This involves importing several tens of millions of doses produced by German BioNTech, which jointly developed the vaccine, through negotiations with another trading company.

Son said, "There has been some progress in related negotiations, and we have been asked by the central government to promote this. We are currently verifying the authenticity," adding, "For specific details, you should check with Daegu City."

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