SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea said on Monday it would not use the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in people aged 65 and over, reversing an earlier decision and reducing initial vaccination targets due to delayed shipments of the global vaccine sharing system COVAX.
South Korea has said it will complete vaccinations on 1.3 million people by the first quarter of this year with AstraZeneca strikes, but has abruptly reduced the target to 750,000.
The decision is largely due to adjustments in the timing of the supply of 2.6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX, the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) said on Monday.
He did not mention any production problems in Europe for the delayed program, which he submitted to COVAX for administrative proceedings and reiterated that his plan to reach the herd’s immunity by November remained in tact.
“We do not believe that the February and March inoculation adjustments will have an impact on our herd immunity target by November,” KDCA Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said in a briefing.
South Korea also reversed its previous plan to use the AstraZeneca vaccine and said it would delay inoculating the elderly with the vaccine until more efficacy data became available.
South Korean authorities said last week that they would give the first approval for a coronavirus vaccine to AstraZeneca and allow it to be used in the elderly, despite warnings from advisory commissions about the lack of data on its effectiveness in elderly patients.
Several European countries have warned that AstraZeneca / Oxford University shots should only be given to those between the ages of 18 and 64, but the company said it triggers a good immune response in the elderly.
The first vaccinations in South Korea will begin on February 26, with health workers and vulnerable residents, including the elderly, first in line.
Reporting by Sangmi Cha and Josh Smith; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Alex Richardson