TALKS CONTINUE OVER AZ INOCULATIONS

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The government will decide Sunday whether to resume inoculations with the AstraZeneca vaccine which have been put on hold or delayed. The shots will more likely resume as a delay in giving jabs to certain age groups can affect the entire vaccination schedule.

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South Korean health authorities partially postponed AstraZeneca vaccine shots that were scheduled for Thursday. This came hours before the European Medicines Agency was set to release a statement.

[Soundbite] Kim Ki-nam(COVID-19 vaccination task force) : "We decided to resume shots after sufficiently reviewing the EMA’s announcement and verifying vaccine safety."

·Following the decision, vaccinations scheduled for some 180-thousand school workers, caretakers and employees at infection-prone facilities under the age of 60 have been put on hold. A decision on whether the jabs can resume will be announced Sunday, after consultations by a panel of experts and the drug safety ministry’s vaccination committee. They will also discuss if an age limit will be introduced for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

[Soundbite] Park Young-jun(COVID-19 vaccination task force) : "A comprehensive review will be held with experts. This includes examining past cases involving symptoms of blood-related diseases."

Officials were quick to reiterate the continued stance of the EMA and British health authorities, that the benefits of the AstraZenenca vaccine outweigh the risks. Therefore Korean authorities are expected to further discuss guidelines on responding to possible adverse reactions and likely resume inoculations. The nation's Health Minister who heads a vaccine task force also said there’s a higher chance of resuming shots as scheduled following Europe’s announcement that defuse safety concerns. Kwon Deok-cheol added the government did not review in detail, the option of introducing Russian or Chinese COVID-19 vaccines.