Additional 1.39 mln doses of Moderna vaccines arrive in S. Korea

SEOUL, An additional batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses from Moderna Inc. arrived in South Korea on Tuesday, which is expected to boost the nation’s vaccination drive for the general public.

An airplane carrying 1.39 million doses of the Moderna vaccine landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, marking the sixth batch of shots that arrived here following a supply disruption at the U.S. pharmaceutical company, which drew protest from Seoul.

Moderna earlier planned to supply 8.5 million doses of its vaccine to South Korea in August but notified Seoul of an adjustment in which the amount would be more than halved due to a production issue.

South Korea sent a delegation to its headquarters in mid-August in protest, and Moderna promised to send 7 million doses by the first week of September.

Moderna has sent 8.15 million doses of vaccines since Aug. 23, including Tuesday’s shipment, which exceeded the promised amount, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Kang Do-tae said.

Separately, 455,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, which were secured under an exchange deal with Romania, will arrive here Wednesday, authorities said.

About 526,500 Pfizer vaccine shots will be delivered on the same day, the first batch of 1.05 million doses purchased from the Romanian government.

South Korea has been striving to raise the vaccination rate as tough virus restrictions have remained in place over the past two months amid the worst wave of the pandemic.

With the additional supply, authorities are optimistic about the goal of inoculating at least 70 percent of the population before the fall harvest Chuseok holiday, set for Sept. 20-22.

A total of 30.7 million people, or about 60 percent of the nation’s 52 million population, have received at least the first shot of COVID-19 vaccines as of Tuesday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Currently, those aged 18-49 are receiving their jabs, following inoculations on priority groups, including the elderly population and healthcare workers.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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