By Sangmi Cha
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea has signed deals with Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen to import coronavirus vaccines for 10 million people and 6 million, respectively, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a televised briefing on Thursday.
The government had previously arranged to purchase vaccines with four companies, including Janssen and Pfizer and the global COVAX initiative, backed by the World Health Organization, as part of a programme to cover up to 85% of its population.
Chung said the Janssen vaccine will be ready for inoculation from the second quarter of 2020, and the Pfizer vaccine will be shipped in the third quarter.
“We are mobilising the entire national capabilities to bring in the shipments within the second quarter,” said Chung. “The negotiation is underway.”
The government has been facing growing public pressure over their COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans as the country struggled to contain a third wave of the pandemic, reporting its second-highest daily tally of cases on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Leslie Adler & Shri Navaratnam)
