VACCINATION PLANS

[Anchor Lead]

COVID-19 vaccinations began yesterday at workplaces with affiliated clinics. They received Pfizer vaccines instead of originally intended Moderna ones. This is due to Moderna’s supply plan being delayed until next month. The Korean government reassured that Moderna shots will arrive next month as planned and a vaccination plan for August will be announced on Friday.

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Workers at Hyundai Motor Group’s Namyang R&D Center are waiting to get their COVID-19 shots. Some 40 workplaces with affiliate medical clinics have started to vaccinate their employees.

[Soundbite] (Hyundai Motor R&D Worker) : "I tried to get leftover vaccines, but couldn’t make a reservation. Now I was vaccinated easily thanks to the company."

Around 303,000 individuals stand to be vaccinated at their workplaces. They were supposed to receive Moderna vaccines, but the shots have been replaced with Pfizer ones because the supply plan of Moderna vaccines has been delayed. The government explained that Moderna experienced some production issues last Friday and couldn’t ship the vaccines promised for late July. The details of the problem are not yet known. The government also added that Moderna did not commit breach of contract because the agreement only indicates that “40 million doses are to be imported within this year” and not a specific date.

[Soundbite] Jeong Eun-yeong(Vaccine Import Office, Central Disaster Management HQs) : "The production site for the August shipment is different from the one for July. We confirmed that vaccinations will proceed as planned."

Experts point out that their concerns about Moderna’s lack of experience in mass production have proven to be true.

[Soundbite] Ma Sang-hyuk(Gyeongnam Medical Association) : "Moderna doesn’t have experiences of mass production or distribution of vaccines. The process is very complicated so it isn’t easy to produce vaccines even if Moderna shares its manufacturing technology."

This month’s shipment will end with some 2.8 million doses of Pfizer and Janssen vaccines. They are set to arrive this week. It’s about one million doses short of the original plan. The government still claims that vaccination for individuals between 18 and 49 years old will begin next month as planned. A detailed vaccination plan will be announced on Friday.