Government Procurement Contract Signed for 5.3 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines

KDCA to Minimize Vaccine Disposal
by Exchanging Doses Near Expiration

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced on August 5, 2025, that it had signed a contract to import 5.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in preparation for the 2025-2026 seasonal vaccination campaign.

Yonhap News

The vaccines contracted this time are LP.8.1 strain vaccines, which have been recommended for use by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as health authorities in the United States and Europe. The contract includes 3.28 million doses from Pfizer and 2.02 million doses from Moderna.

Until now, the government has introduced COVID-19 vaccines through advance purchases from each pharmaceutical company, fully funded by the national budget. However, starting this year, the procurement method has been changed to a government procurement system, in line with the existing national immunization program, and will be managed as a local government subsidy project. From this year, vaccine storage and distribution, which were previously handled entirely by government-contracted companies, will now be managed by the procurement contract companies.

To minimize vaccine wastage, the KDCA has arranged for vaccines that reach their expiration date during the campaign period to be exchanged so that they can continue to be used throughout the vaccination period. In addition, any remaining vaccines after the campaign ends can be returned within 5% of the contracted quantity.

Im Seungkwan, Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, "Since there will be significant changes in the COVID-19 vaccine contracting and distribution methods starting this year, we will thoroughly prepare to ensure there are no disruptions in vaccine supply," adding, "We will also conduct even more meticulous on-site inspections to ensure the safe storage and distribution of vaccines."

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