Menu Close

South Korea secures 40m additional COVID-19 Vaccines for nearly twice its population

*South Korea has secured enough COVID-19 Vaccines to immunise its entire population, and twice with a total of 192 million vaccine doses

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

As the major stakeholders preach vaccine equity in distribution and access, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has disclosed it signed an additional deal with Pfizer Incorporated for 40 million additional doses in its reserves.

The South Korean regulatory agency Saturday, April 24, 2021, said the supplementary vaccine doses had brought the total doses country has procured from various vaccine producers to 192 million, or enough for 99 million people.

COVID-19 tests and vaccinations in South Korea  Photo: ProactiveInvestors 

ConsumerConnect gathered perhaps, toeing the line of the United States (US) and other developed economies of the world in stacking different brands of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for their populations, South Korea has an estimated population of 52 million people, just as the US also currently has secured 50 million doses of a vaccine brand sitting idle while waiting for consumers’ arms in the country.

However, the Korean procurements sharply contrast with its inoculation campaign, with barely 4 percent of the population receiving at least one dose thus far.

An aggregate of 2.11 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in South Korea, according to data collected by Bloomberg News and Johns Hopkins University.

The government has faced public criticism for failing to ensure early vaccine supplies as rapidly as neighbouring countries.

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said in the past week that the government was in talks with the US on a “vaccine swap,” without elaborating on the process.

The country began vaccinations late February this year, but briefly stopped shots made by AstraZeneca Plc amid concerns of potential blood clots, report stated.

Earlier, South Korea reportedly had aimed to vaccinate 12 million people by June and achieve herd immunity by November 2021.

The government said that the Pfizer deal would help to hasten the timeline of getting herd immunity, which could be realised after more than 36 million people, or 70 percent of the country’s population are vaccinated.

It was learnt South Korea reported 785 new cases Saturday, bringing the total virus cases to more than 118,000.

The country saw the number of local cases regularly exceed 500 a day this month, prompting the government to warn of a fourth Coronavirus wave and urging people to stay at home.

Kindly Share This Story

 

Kindly share this story