ZCZC
BFF-24
HEALTH-VIRUS-NKOREA-VACCINES
North Korea to receive Covid vaccine after making request
SEOUL, Feb 4, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – North Korea has requested Covid-19 vaccines
and is expected to receive nearly two million doses, according to the Gavi
vaccine alliance, part of the WHO-backed Covax programme, although the
isolated country has insisted it is virus-free.
It is the first official confirmation that the North has asked for
international help, with the country’s medical infrastructure is seen as
woefully inadequate for dealing with any large-scale outbreak.
The Covax scheme, co-led by the Gavi alliance, will distribute 1.99
million doses to the North, according to Covax’s interim distribution report
released this week.
All countries receiving interim allocations of vaccines “have submitted
requests for vaccines”, a Gavi spokesman told AFP on Thursday.
The allocations cited in the report “reflect latest estimates of supply
and take into account country readiness and regulatory approvals,” he added.
According to the report, the North is to receive the AstraZeneca-Oxford
jab produced by the Serum Institute of India.
Pyongyang closed its borders in late January last year — the first
country in the world to do so — in a bid to protect itself against the
coronavirus.
It has long insisted that it has had no cases, with its leader Kim Jong Un
reiterating the claim at a huge military parade in October.
Experts suggest that is unlikely, given the virus first emerged in
neighbouring China, its main provider of trade and aid.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1649 hrs