SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea said on Monday that it will not use the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in people aged 65 and over, reversing an earlier decision, and reduced initial vaccination targets due to delayed shipment of the vaccine. global COVAX vaccine sharing scheme.
South Korea said it would complete the vaccination of 1.3 million people by the first quarter of this year with the AstraZeneca vaccines, but has drastically reduced the target to 750,000.
The decision is largely due to adjustments in the delivery schedule for 2.6 million doses of COVAX’s AstraZeneca vaccine, the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Monday.
He did not mention any production problems in Europe due to the delay in the schedule, which he attributed to administrative proceedings at COVAX, and reiterated that his plan to achieve herd immunity by November remained intact.
“We do not believe that adjustments to vaccinations in February and March will affect our herd immunity target by November,” said KDCA director Jeong Eun-kyeong at a news conference.
South Korea also reversed its earlier plan on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine and said it would delay inoculating elderly people who used the vaccine until more efficacy data was available.
South Korean officials said last week that they would grant their first approval for a coronavirus vaccine for AstraZeneca and allow its use in the elderly, despite advisory panel warnings about the lack of data on its effectiveness in elderly patients.
Several European countries have warned that the AstraZeneca / Oxford University injection should only be given to people between the ages of 18 and 64, but the company said it triggers a good immune response in older people.
South Korea’s first vaccinations will begin on February 26, with health professionals and vulnerable residents, including the elderly, the first in line.
Reporting by Sangmi Cha and Josh Smith; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Alex Richardson