By Sangmi Cha
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea is reviewing AstraZeneca’s request for approval of the coronavirus vaccine as it extends a ban on private gatherings of more than four people across the country, with daily cases exceeding 1,000 within four dae boaan.
The South Korean Ministry of Drug Safety said it was aiming to approve the British shot for emergency use within 40 days. The approval would be the first for the country, which is facing a prolonged increase in infections during the latest wave that has led to a sharp increase in deaths.
South Korea signed an agreement with AstraZeneca in December to secure 20 million doses of its vaccine, with the first shipment already expected in January.
The company also has three other drug manufacturers – Pfizer Inc, Janssen, Moderna Inc – and Johnson & Johnson, and the global COVAX initiative, supported by the World Health Organization.
The country has obtained 106 million doses to ensure coverage of 56 million people, more than the country’s 52 million inhabitants, the director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Jeong Eun-kyeong, told an information session .
Authorities plan to begin vaccinations in February, with health workers and vulnerable people first, but the government has been criticized for the schedule in light of the vaccinations underway in the United States and the European Union.
The AstraZeneca shot has already been approved in Britain, Argentina, El Salvador and India. It is cheaper and can be stored at refrigerator temperature, making it easier to transport and use than some competing recordings, such as one from Pfizer.
However, the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine is plagued by uncertainty about the most effective dose since data published in November show that half a dose followed by a full dose has a 90% success rate, while two full shots were 62% effective . SK Bioscience, which is 98% owned by SK Chemical, has approved approval to launch clinical trials of AstraZeneca’s experimental vaccine in November, after agreeing in July to manufacture the shots to help the UK company supply global supplies build. cases from Sunday to midnight, bringing the total to 64,264 infections, with 981 deaths, according to the KDCA.
A ban on small private gatherings existing in the greater Seoul area has been extended nationwide until January 17.
“The reason we have extended the ban on gatherings of four or more across the country is because gathering people is much more dangerous than a specific place,” Jeong said.
The extensive rules for social distance imposed on Seoul and surrounding areas include churches, restaurants, cafes, ski resorts and other venues. More than 60% of the cases in South Korea come from Seoul, Gyeonggi province and the city of Incheon, with outbreaks of mass clusters around nursing homes and prisons. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has insisted on an overall effort to prepare for the country’s vaccination program. “The KDCA must be perfectly ready for the whole process as soon as the vaccine arrives – the distribution, storage, vaccination and follow-up,” Chung said at a government meeting. He also appealed to the Ministries of Health, Safety and Transport to help speed up the process, not to face the kind of problems that occur in the United States and some countries in Europe.
(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Edited by Lincoln Feast)