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 Suffering a fourth wave of infections, South Korea has posted record
numbers of new cases in recent weeks, while its inoculation campaign
has been dogged by vaccine shortages and shipment delays.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said Moderna had informed South
Korea that it would only be able to deliver less than half the 8.5
million doses it had been due to ship in August.
"I once again apologise for causing concerns among the people
because of Moderna's vaccine supply problems," Kwon told a briefing.
The U.S. drugmaker had already missed its late-July shipment, saying
some manufacturing partners were facing delays due to laboratory
testing operations.
Kwon said the government had complained to Moderna, and a high-level
delegation would be visiting the company to discuss how best to
remedy the situation.
He said Moderna had apologised and pledged to work to make good the
promised shipments.
Moderna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
South Korea has a contract to buy 40 million doses from Moderna, and
just about 2.4 million have arrived so far, according to the Korea
Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The delays came as South Korea is set to open vaccine reservations
for all adults over 18 years for the first time late on Monday, with
vaccinations using Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech products to start on
Aug. 26.
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 The reservations will proceed
as planned, but it will take six weeks to get a
second shot after the first dose, instead of
four weeks, KDCA chief Jeong Eun-kyeong said.
South Korea was praised for its handling of
earlier major outbreaks with thorough tracing
and testing, but a slow vaccination uptake has
overlapped with a surge in more transmissible
variants.
Some 45% of the 52 million population have had
at least one dose of vaccine, while just 15%
have been fully vaccinated as of Sunday
midnight, KDCA data showed.
South Korea aims to immunise over 70% of the
population by September.
President Moon Jae-in told a meeting with senior
aides that despite vaccine shortages, the goal
will be reached by maximising the efficiency of
available supplies.
The KDCA reported 1,492 new coronavirus cases
for Sunday, raising total infections to 212,448,
with 2,125 deaths.
(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Lincoln
Feast & Simon Cameron-Moore)
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