Pfizer Applies For COVID-19 Vaccine Use Authorization In S. Korea - Drug Safety Minister

Umer Jamshaid Published January 25, 2021 | 04:32 PM

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has applied for the authorized use of its COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea, Minister of Food and Drug Safety Kim Gang-lip said on Monday

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2021) US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has applied for the authorized use of its COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea, Minister of food and Drug Safety Kim Gang-lip said on Monday.

On December 23, the East Asian country signed a contract with Pfizer to receive 20 million doses of its vaccine. Deliveries will start in the third quarter of 2021 and should be completed in full by the end of the year.

"This afternoon, Pfizer applied for use authorization of the vaccine. We will thoroughly review the safety and effectiveness of the product," Kim told reporters.

South Korea is set to begin the vaccine rollout in February, hoping to achieve herd immunity by November.

Along with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and those provided via the World Health Organization's COVAX Facility, the country will also receive vaccines from Johnson & Johnson, Janssen, Moderna and AstraZeneca/Oxford.

Frontline health workers and care home staff will get the shots in the first quarter of the year, followed by the other medical personnel and those aged 65 and older in the second quarter. Those suffering from chronic diseases and adults aged between 19-64 will be immunized in the third quarter.