Additional 40,000 Paxlovid Doses to Be Introduced by the End of This Month

32,000 Units Imported Domestically, 23,000 Units Remaining in Stock

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] An additional 40,000 doses of the oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid will arrive by the end of this month.

On the 22nd, Ko Jae-young, spokesperson for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), stated at the Central Disease Control Headquarters briefing, "We plan to introduce an additional 40,000 doses of Paxlovid by the end of this month, and the schedule will be disclosed once finalized."

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, 32,000 doses of Paxlovid have been imported into the country so far, with about 9,000 doses used, leaving 22,965 doses remaining.

The government has signed a purchase contract with Pfizer for 762,000 doses of Paxlovid. Additionally, 242,000 doses of Merck & Company (MSD)'s molnupiravir have been secured, bringing the total number of oral treatment doses procured by the government to 1,004,000.

Since the 21st, the eligibility for Paxlovid administration has been expanded to include those aged 60 and above, immunocompromised individuals, patients aged 50 and above with underlying conditions, and now patients in their 40s with underlying conditions. Starting from the 25th, respiratory clinics and designated respiratory medical institutions are also expected to be authorized to prescribe the medication.

Meanwhile, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that 615,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines, procured through individual contracts, will arrive at Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 23rd. Including this shipment, a total of 7.58 million vaccine doses have been introduced this year, with approximately 142.86 million doses expected to arrive by the end of the year.

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