S.Korea Agrees To Purchase COVID-19 Vaccines For 23 Million More People - Prime Minister

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th February, 2021) South Korea has agreed to additionally purchase coronavirus vaccines for another 23 million people, which includes Pfizer vaccines for another 3 million people and Novavax vaccines for 20 million people, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said at a government meeting.

"The government, in addition to the already approved vaccine supplies for 56 million people, added vaccines for another 23 million people and ensured a total purchase of vaccines for 79 million people," the prime minister, whose speech was shown on YTN tv, said.

He said the country's government was doing everything to ensure that there was enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population and create herd immunity by November, which was South Korea's goal.

At the same time, due to supply disruptions and fierce competition for the vaccine, "uncertainty is gradually increasing" about vaccine supply in the first half of this year.

"In this regard... we signed a contract to supply the Pfizer vaccine for another 3 million people in the second quarter and agreed to postpone vaccine delivery for 500,000 people to March from the volume that was contracted to arrive in the second half of the year ... The receipt of Novavax vaccines for 20 million people has been approved, from the second quarter we will begin to vaccinate people with it," Chung said.