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Following the UK AstraZeneca vaccine, the Korean government has entered the approval review for the US Pfizer vaccine.
However, it has not yet revealed specific details about which company's products will enter Korea and how much next month.
Medical reporter Cho Dong-chan covered the situation.
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Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it would undergo urgent approval within 40 days by going through the process of an expert verification team and the central pharmacist review committee as the Pfizer vaccine approval review began.
According to this procedure, Pfizer can only complete the review after March, so the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is scheduled to be approved in early February after starting the review on the 4th, is the strongest domestic vaccine.
But there is a variable.
An official from the quarantine authorities said that the red light was on for vaccination in February.
In addition, it began contacting to take over the amount of vaccines secured by international private organizations such as the World Vaccine Immunization Association and UNICEF. Pfizer said that although Pfizer is strong, there may be other variables.
However, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that the vaccine that is currently available for domestic approval is AstraZeneca.
Other vaccines, even if they are available, are difficult to get urgent approval in February.
However, it has been announced that it can be simply verified by the subcommittee of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety like Remdesivir, a treatment for COVID-19, and introduced it in the form of import rather than permission.
In the end, for the February vaccination, AstraZeneca vaccine will undergo urgent approval, and other products will undergo special import procedures.
The outlines of the first vaccines to be introduced are expected to be embodied at the Pfizer Vaccine's first expert meeting this Friday.
(Video coverage: Kim Sung-il, video editing: Lee Seung-jin)