ROK to buy coronavirus vaccines for 44 million people

Republic of Korea has signed deals with four companies as part of a programme that will provide coronavirus vaccines for 44 million people, the government said on Tuesday (December 8).

Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in called on Monday for expanded coronavirus testing and more thorough tracing as infections continued to rise despite the imposition of increasingly restrictive social distancing measures.
Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in called on Monday for expanded coronavirus testing and more thorough tracing as infections continued to rise despite the imposition of increasingly restrictive social distancing measures.

The government has arranged to buy 20 million doses each from AstraZeneca Inc., Pfizer, and Moderna, and another 4 million doses from Johnson & Johnson's Janssen, which together are enough to cover up to 34 million people.

Additional doses for 10 million people will be procured through the World Health Organization's global vaccine project, known as COVAX.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 594 new coronavirus cases as of midnight Monday, bringing the country's total to 38,755, with 552 deaths.

Reuters