Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Dec. 24 chairs a meeting on responding to the pandemic of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at Government Complex-Seoul. (Yonhap News)

By Elena Kubitzki and Lee Jihae

The government has concluded deals with global pharmaceutical giants Janssen of Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer to purchase vaccines against COVID-19.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Dec. 24 told a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at Government Complex-Seoul, "The government yesterday signed deals with global pharmaceutical companies Janssen and Pfizer to purchase COVID-10 vaccines." 

"The deal with Janssen will bring in six million doses, or two million more than originally planned," he said. "We will start administering them from next year's second quarter."

He said the government agreed to import 10 million vaccine doses from Pfizer from the third quarter next year, adding, "National-level efforts and negotiations to move up the supply schedule to the second quarter are underway."

"Several countries have started vaccinations such as the U.K. and the U.S.," the prime minister said. "The government will thoroughly see if the first vaccines administered are safe and efficient enough, and meticulously work to allow people to get vaccinated as quickly and safely as possible."

On Dec. 8, the government in a Cabinet meeting concluded plans to secure vaccines for ten million people from the international project COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, also known as the COVAX Facility, as well as for 34 million people from pharmaceutical companies.

elenakubi@korea.kr