S.Korea flags possible vaccine export curbs to secure COVID-19 shots (updated)

SK Chemicals

06/04/2021 08:26

(Adds background, quotes)
    By Sangmi Cha
    SEOUL, April 6 (Reuters) - South Korea is considering all
options to secure enough coronavirus vaccine supplies, a top
vaccine official said on Tuesday in response to questions about
possible export curbs on locally made vaccines.
    The remarks come as authorities face a backlash for relying
on global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX for a bulk of the
country's COVID-19 shots as shipment delays threaten to slow the
inoculation programme.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2LU0WZ
    Last week's announcement that South Korea would only receive
432,000 doses instead of 690,000, and that delivery would be
delayed to around the third week of April, is the second time
that the country's vaccine rollout has been hit by supply delays
in the scheme.
    When asked whether authorities were considering export curbs
on AstraZeneca Plc  AZN.L  shots produced by SK Chemicals Co Ltd
 285130.KS  unit SK bioscience, a COVID-19 vaccination
management task force team lead told reporters all options were
on the table.
    The AstraZeneca vaccine produced by SK bioscience has been
shipped to Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan and global vaccine sharing
scheme COVAX which is mainly aimed at ensuring supplies to 64
poor countries.
    The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) also
said it will make an announcement relating to reports that the
British regulator is considering a proposal to restrict the use
of AstraZeneca vaccine in younger people over concerns about
very rare blood clots.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2LY2TZ
    Close to a million first doses of the vaccine had been
administered as of Monday, the KDCA said, when it also reported 
478 new cases to take the country's total infections to 106,230,
with 1,752 deaths.    

 (Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Kim Coghill & Shri
Navaratnam)
 ((Sangmi.Cha@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5646; Reuters
Messaging: sangmi.cha.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))