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| People are observed for possible side effects after receiving their COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination center in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap |
Inoculation of 20-40 age groups may be pushed back
By Lee Hyo-jin
The government's COVID-19 vaccination plan is facing uncertainties due to supply issues involving products from Moderna, with which the country has signed a contract to receive 40 million doses, enough for 20 million people.
Korea has so far received 1.15 million doses from the U.S. pharmaceutical company, with the remainder set to arrive in the latter half of the year. The government was planning to use the doses to vaccinate people in their 50s, as well as those in lower age groups, from August
But the health authorities have were informed by Moderna, July 23, about a production issue involving its vaccines, making changes in the supply schedule inevitable, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
"There may be some adjustments to the shipment schedules, but we are mobilizing all administrative and diplomatic capacities to look into the details and come up with countermeasures," Park Ji-young, a senior official at the KDCA, said Monday.
But the agency did not specify what the production issue was, or how long the shipment would be delayed, saying, "We will announce the details after talks with the pharmaceutical company."
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Tuesday that the government is engaging in talks with Moderna officials on specific volumes and shipment dates. "We will soon announce a revised vaccination plan," he said, vowing to keep the goal of reaching herd immunity by November.
Later in the day, the KDCA said Moderna doses which were initially scheduled to arrive in late July have been pushed back to August, but failed to give any specific dates.
Moderna's production problems, which come as the country expands its vaccination drive for people in their 50s, has brought last minute changes in the types of vaccine to be used for people in this age group, and may cause further setbacks in the inoculation schedule on lower age groups slated for the third quarter of the year.
The health authorities had initially planned to use Moderna doses for the vaccination of people in their 50s, which began Monday.
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| Test tubes are seen in front of a Moderna logo in this May 21 photo. Reuters-Yonhap |
But one week ahead of the rollout, the KDCA decided to include Pfizer vaccines in its inoculation plan, as the arrival of Moderna products had been delayed due to quality inspection and delivery issues.
Therefore, this week, people in the metropolitan area began to receive the Pfizer vaccine, while those outside the capital area, had the Moderna vaccine for their first shots.
But due to the unstable shipment schedule, the government has decided to replace the Moderna vaccine with the one from Pfizer.
Due to the continuously changing plans, many people in their 50s have no idea whether they will receive the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.
The health authorities will announce their vaccination plan for people aged between 18 and 49 this Friday, but it is uncertain which product will be used. If the problem in the supply of the Moderna vaccine is not resolved soon, vaccination for this age group could be pushed back from the initial plan ― inoculation with the first shots from the end of August to the end of September. In this case, the target of planned herd immunity by November after this group receives their second shots could also be pushed back.
As of Monday, around 34 percent of the population had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while 13.5 percent have been fully vaccinated, according to the KDCA.
