By Sangmi Cha
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea is considering AstraZeneca’s request for approval of its coronavirus vaccine as it expands the ban on private meetings of more than four people across the country, with daily cases reaching more than 1,000 in four days.
South Korea’s anti-drug security ministry said it would aim to approve the British shot for emergency use in 40 days. The approval would be the first for the country, which has struggled with a prolonged increase in infections during the last wave that has led to a sharp increase in deaths.
South Korea signed an agreement in December with AstraZeneca to guarantee 20 million doses of its vaccine, with the first shipment scheduled for January.
It also has business with three other pharmaceutical companies – Pfizer Inc, Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, Moderna Inc – and the global COVAX initiative, supported by the World Health Organization.
The country has secured 106 million doses to allow coverage for 56 million people, more than the country’s 52 million residents, said Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Authorities plan to start vaccinating in February, with health professionals and vulnerable people in the first place, but the government has been criticized for this schedule due to ongoing vaccinations in the United States and the European Union.
The AstraZeneca injection has already been approved in Britain, Argentina, El Salvador and India. It is cheaper and can be stored at refrigerator temperature, which makes it easier to transport and use than some rival photos, such as Pfizer.
The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, however, has been plagued by uncertainties about its most effective dosage since data published in November showed that half a dose followed by a full dose had a 90% success rate, while two complete vaccines were 62% effective. In November, SK Bioscience, with 98% ownership of SK Chemical, received regulatory approval to begin human clinical trials of the experimental vaccine from AstraZeneca, having agreed in July to manufacture the injections to help the British company build global supplies. SOCIAL COLLECTION BANS South Korea reported 1,020 new coronavirus cases as of midnight on Sunday, bringing the total to 64,264 infections, with 981 deaths, according to the KDCA.
The ban on small private meetings that was in effect in the greater Seoul area was expanded nationwide until January 17.
“The reason we have expanded the ban on meetings of four or more across the country is because the gathering of people itself is much more dangerous than a specific location,” said Jeong.
The rules of extended social distance imposed on Seoul and neighboring areas include curbs in churches, restaurants, cafes, ski resorts and other locations. Over 60% of South Korea’s cases are from Seoul, Gyeonggi province and the city of Incheon, with mass outbreaks concentrated in nursing homes and prisons. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for a total effort to prepare for the country’s vaccination program. “The KDCA must be perfectly ready for the whole process by the time the vaccine arrives – distribution, storage, inoculation and monitoring,” said Chung at a government meeting. He also asked the ministries of health, safety and related transport to help speed up the process so as not to face the types of problems seen in the United States and some European countries.
(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Lincoln Feast)