S. Korea to expand COVID-19 inoculation with increased vaccine supply

SEOUL, May 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Monday that it will rev up its vaccination campaign by importing more vaccines before June amid concerns over tight supply which caused the nationwide rollout to lag. Health authorities said the country will receive 14.2 million doses of vaccines in May and June, enough to vaccinate up to 13 million people by end-June. The country has inoculated some 3.3 million people since its vaccine rollout in late February. A total of 4.12 million doses of vaccines have been shipped in as of Monday. Health authorities said 7.23 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccines will arrive in the country between May 14 and the first week of June, while 5 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine will be also supplied by June. Through the World Health Organization's global vaccine COVAX Facility project, an additional 1.67 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine and 297,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccines will be imported by June as well, according to the health authorities. Health authorities said they are currently negotiating with Moderna, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson to import their vaccines in the first half of the year. The country has secured early access for vaccines for 99 million people, nearly double its population, from COVAX and five pharmaceutical companies -- Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen. The vaccination and supply plan came as there are concerns over tight supply which could delay the vaccination drive. The slower-than-expected vaccine shipments raise concerns over the feasibility of the country's plan to vaccinate 12 million people by the end of June in a bid to achieve herd immunity by November. kdon@yna.co.kr (END)