Moderna Vaccine Supply Resumes Next Week... Still a Long Way to Go for the 'Booster Shot'

Government Promises 'Vaccine Supply Speed' in Second Half
But Falls Short of 10% Target for 10 Million Doses in First Month

Negotiations with Moderna the Day Before Confirm "Supply Resumes Next Week"
Urgent Vaccination for 50s Eased

Delays in Novavax Approval and More Challenges Ahead for Booster Shots

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Among the COVID-19 vaccines scheduled for introduction this month, 10% will not arrive on time. Although the government confidently stated, "From the second half of the year, we will supply vaccines faster and in greater quantities," disruptions have occurred from the very first month. While vaccine supply remains tight, discussions on booster shots (additional vaccinations) and adolescent vaccinations are accelerating, increasing vaccine demand even further.

◆ Failure to meet the '10 million doses in July' promise = According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 2,679,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived at Incheon Airport at 1:35 a.m. on the 28th. In July alone, Pfizer vaccines arrived sequentially every week: 627,000 doses on the 7th, 799,000 doses on the 14th, and 1,866,000 doses on the 21st, totaling 5,971,000 doses (excluding Korea-Israel vaccine swap quantities). However, Pfizer is the only supplier providing a steady amount. AstraZeneca vaccines amounted to only 1,188,000 doses, and Moderna vaccines to 1,040,000 doses this month. Even adding 101,000 doses of Janssen arriving on the 29th, the total July supply is 9,080,000 doses, about 1 million doses short of the original target.

Supply of Moderna vaccines, which faced disruptions this month, will resume early next month. Depending on the arrival of Moderna vaccines, large-scale vaccinations for those aged 40 and below starting in August may face setbacks, prompting the government to urgently address the issue. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting, "To discuss the recent domestic supply issues of Moderna vaccines, we held a high-level video conference with Moderna last night," adding, "Supply will resume from next week."

If vaccines arrive as planned, the urgent situation can be managed, especially since vaccinations for those in their 50s have already begun. There are expectations that 1.3 million doses, exceeding the total 1,152,000 doses of Moderna vaccines introduced so far, will be supplied all at once next week. Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a radio interview, "According to negotiations between the government and Moderna, about 1.3 to 1.4 million doses will be received next week, and 8.5 million doses are scheduled to arrive in August as planned." However, this differs from Moderna's statement on the 27th (local time) via email, which said, "Supply schedules to countries outside the U.S. will be adjusted in the short term over the next 2 to 4 weeks," so it is too early to be reassured.

Remaining vaccine supplies cannot be viewed optimistically either. As a bio-venture company, Moderna mainly relies on contract manufacturing, leaving room for supply instability to recur. Novavax vaccines, contracted for 40 million doses, are delayed from approval. Novavax recently informed the Korean government that it is unlikely to apply for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization by September. Even if the application is made in October, domestic separate approval procedures must follow, potentially delaying actual vaccinations further.

◆ "Booster shots and adolescent vaccinations remain additional tasks" = Domestically, discussions on booster shots are accelerating in response to the rapid spread of variant viruses and increasing breakthrough infections. The quarantine authorities are considering implementing booster shots starting in October for those vaccinated earlier this year. Efforts to expand COVID-19 vaccination to adolescents are also active. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety changed the Pfizer vaccine’s approval on the 16th to allow use for those aged 12 and above, and the day before, began review procedures to expand the age range for the Moderna vaccine. This means vaccine supply must continue into next year after the fourth quarter, when the '70% national vaccination' becomes visible.

Domestically, the more transmissible India-originated 'Delta variant' is emerging as the dominant strain, increasing concerns. Recent overseas studies have shown that the Janssen vaccine has lower neutralizing ability (the ability to neutralize the virus) against the globally prevalent Delta variant compared to messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Cases of 'breakthrough infections,' where individuals test positive after 14 days of immune formation post-vaccination, are also increasing.

Accordingly, there are calls to accelerate additional vaccine procurement. Korea’s last vaccine contract was for 40 million doses of Pfizer vaccines at the end of April. Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said, "After the recent Moderna supply issue, there remains a possibility that other vaccines may not arrive as planned," emphasizing, "Booster shots will be necessary from the end of the year when the second dose for the entire population is completed, so additional contracts must begin now."

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