December 3 (Nicena) Reuters quoted South Korean media reports on the 3rd that South Korea has reached a coronavirus vaccine purchase agreement with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC to ensure that vaccine supplies are available when the epidemic outbreaks again.
The South Korean government said it was in final negotiations with global pharmaceutical manufacturers, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, on the experimental vaccine they developed, and launched a preliminary review of AstraZeneca vaccine in October to seek rapid approval.
South Korea’s health authorities signed an agreement with AstraZeneca on November 27, and a memorandum of understanding with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, requiring further negotiations to finalize supply and delivery time, South Korea’s Central Daily quoted a government official.
Yonhap also quoted sources as saying that the deal with AstraZeneca has been completed, and the government will issue a statement as early as next week after negotiations with several other companies are completed.
The Korea Agency for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) said that the report of South Korea’s Central Daily did not represent the official position, but the final results of the negotiations will be announced in the short term. The agency also revealed that it will allocate 172 billion won (about 1.03 billion yuan) to buy 60 million doses of vaccine this year, which is enough to vaccinate about 60% of South Koreans by the second quarter of 2021.
In addition, South Korea has obtained 20 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine implementation plan (COVAX) jointly proposed and led by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the World Health Organization and the Alliance for Innovation in Epidemic Prevention.
