The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Disgraced ex-minister's daughter says she feels proud, qualified as a doctor

  • 3

    Coupang reveals Asia's largest fulfillment center in Daegu

  • 5

    'Celebrity forests' emerge as new K-pop trend in Seoul

  • 7

    Tiger endures 3 years of solitary confinement in closed zoo

  • 9

    Netflix survival show 'Physical 100' attracts viewers with sweat, muscle and human story

  • 11

    Rescuers race against time as Turkey-Syria quake death toll passes 5,000

  • 13

    Ex-justice minister, daughter blamed for unrepentant attitude over academic fraud

  • 15

    SM founder Lee Soo-man returns home, in hospital to treat arm fracture

  • 17

    Seoul narrows in on new slogan

  • 19

    Korea to allow currency trading by offshore firms, extend market hours

  • 2

    Singer Lee Seung-gi to marry actor Lee Da-in in April

  • 4

    SM in internal feud over founder's exit from producing

  • 6

    Ex-gov't employee summarily indicted for alleged attempt to sell Jungkook's lost hat

  • 8

    Seoul city zeroes in on foreign residents' unpaid taxes

  • 10

    Korean Peninsula may face fallout from balloon saga

  • 12

    Peak Time: Survival show for lesser-known K-pop boy bands to hit air

  • 14

    INTERVIEW'Korea, US can create synergy in space industry': NASA ambassador

  • 16

    Apple confirms launch of Apple Pay in Korea

  • 18

    Chainsaw Fest set to rip apart Club SHARP

  • 20

    Korea opens metaverse platform for Korean-language learning

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Thu, February 9, 2023 | 07:56
Health & Science
Nearly 10 million COVID-19 vaccines may be discarded in Korea
Posted : 2022-09-12 16:55
Updated : 2022-09-13 12:15
Lee Hyo-jin
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
A person receives his fourth shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at a local clinic in Seongdong District, Seoul, July 18. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han
A person receives his fourth shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at a local clinic in Seongdong District, Seoul, July 18. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han

Gov't struggles to handle soon-to-expire doses

By Lee Hyo-jin

Nearly 10 million soon-to-expire COVID-19 vaccine doses are likely to be discarded in Korea amid waning demand, in sharp contrast to the early days of the national vaccination campaign when the country grappled with a scarce supply.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), as of Monday, there are a total of 14,208,000 stockpiled vaccine doses. They include 8.3 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 2.7 million doses of Moderna, 1.98 million doses of Johnson & Johnson, 671,000 doses of Novavax and 609,000 doses of the SKYCovione, the country's first domestically developed vaccine by SK Bioscience.

Considering that about 100,000 shots are being administered per week, at the current pace, about 10 million doses are likely to go to waste by the end of this year with their expiration dates approaching. The shelf life of COVID-19 vaccines is usually between six months to a year.

The government has already discarded 5.92 million doses as of July, equivalent to about 3.6 percent of the total 145.8 million doses it had procured.

The KDCA is now in the process of canceling or delaying scheduled shipments. In July, it canceled the shipment of 4 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines, as well as 12.6 million doses that were secured through COVAX facility.

Moreover, the government has been donating surplus vaccines to other countries such as Guatemala, Ghana and Mexico since June, as a part of its effort to minimize the number of wasted doses.

A person receives his fourth shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at a local clinic in Seongdong District, Seoul, July 18. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han
Vials containing the COVID-19 vaccines of Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik V vaccines are seen in this photo illustration taken May 2, 2021. Reuters-Yonhap

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the authorities to find recipient nations due to shrinking demand for the original vaccines amid the spread of new Omicron variants. In some cases, the vaccines are not accepted by recipients due to challenges in stocking and distributing the nearly expired doses.

Local experts, who view that vaccine wastage is inevitable to some extent, called for a more efficient inoculation plan for the rollout of the new bivalent vaccines, which is set to kick off in October.

"Throwing away unused vaccines is a waste of national resources. But ultimately, some amount of vaccine wastage is inevitable due to continuous emergence of new variants. So it doesn't seem appropriate to criticize the government harshly," Chon Eun-mi, a respiratory disease specialist at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, told The Korea Times, Monday.

She also noted that Korea is not the only country facing these issues. The United States discarded over 82 million doses as of May, while Canada and Germany each disposed of 14.8 million and 3.9 million doses, respectively.

But the authorities should now be more prudent in drawing up inoculation plans for the upcoming bivalent vaccines, said Chon.

Starting next month, the government will roll out booster shots specifically targeting the Omicron variant using updated vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna that target both the BA.1 subvariant of Omicron as well as the original strain of the coronavirus.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has also begun reviewing Pfizer's bivalent vaccine that targets the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants and original coronavirus strain, which was approved for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration last month.

"The vaccination program should now target the vulnerable groups, rather than covering the entire population. Plus, the government shouldn't underestimate vaccine hesitancy among people who have already been infected with the virus," said Chon. "And with that in mind, there should be more detailed plans to monitor and minimize potential vaccine wastage."



Emaillhj@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Korean Peninsula may face fallout from balloon sagaKorean Peninsula may face fallout from balloon saga
2Turkey-Syria earthquake Turkey-Syria earthquake
3Daughter-centered photos, title of honor reinforce speculation over North Korea succession Daughter-centered photos, title of honor reinforce speculation over North Korea succession
4[INTERVIEW] 'Growth slowdown can accelerate depletion of retirement pension fund' INTERVIEW'Growth slowdown can accelerate depletion of retirement pension fund'
5SM's management dispute to benefit KakaoSM's management dispute to benefit Kakao
6National Assembly votes to impeach interior minister for Itaewon tragedyNational Assembly votes to impeach interior minister for Itaewon tragedy
7SM6 Feel attracts customers with popular options, low price SM6 Feel attracts customers with popular options, low price
8Philip Morris seeks to surpass KT&G in e-cigarette market Philip Morris seeks to surpass KT&G in e-cigarette market
9[INTERVIEW] Veteran US photographer gives environment 'visual voice' to chronicle climate change INTERVIEWVeteran US photographer gives environment 'visual voice' to chronicle climate change
10Korean companies move to support victims in earthquake-hit Turkey, SyriaKorean companies move to support victims in earthquake-hit Turkey, Syria
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Decoding success factors of NewJeans: How is it different? Decoding success factors of NewJeans: How is it different?
2SM in internal feud over founder's exit from producing SM in internal feud over founder's exit from producing
3The Boyz member Hyunjae apologizes for wearing hat with Rising Sun flag design The Boyz member Hyunjae apologizes for wearing hat with Rising Sun flag design
4Peak Time: Survival show for lesser-known K-pop boy bands to hit air Peak Time: Survival show for lesser-known K-pop boy bands to hit air
5K-pop stars and dating K-pop stars and dating
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group