North Korea to receive AstraZeneca vaccines from India, reports say

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- North Korea is on a list of low-income nations that are to receive shipments of COVID-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization's COVAX Facility, despite ongoing claims of "zero" cases of the novel coronavirus.

According to the COVAX Facility on Wednesday, the Kim Jong Un regime, which has championed "self-reliance" economically, is to receive 1,992,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the first half of the year, South Korean news services Dailian and Seoul Economic Daily reported Thursday.

The vaccines will arrive in batches. According to Seoul Economic Daily, the North is expected to receive about 35% to 40% of the shipments in the first quarter of 2021, and the remainder in the second quarter.

North Korea's efforts to procure a vaccine were first reported by the Wall Street Journal in January. Sources told the newspaper Pyongyang had filed an application for vaccines with Gavi, the public-private global health partnership that works to improve immunization in developing countries.

The number of doses North Korea is to receive through the COVAX Facility covers 996,000 people. The country is expected to receive AstraZeneca vaccines from the Serum Institute of India, which is in partnership to produce the injections with the British-Swedish multinational firm.

Kee Park, a lecturer on global health at Harvard Medical School, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia vaccinations are not likely to bring about a reopening of the North Korean border. North Korea could consider opening after vaccinating the local population that comes into contact with the outside world, or foreigners, Kee said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is also expected to make its way to South Korea, where SK Bioscience Co. has forged a partnership with the European firm, according to Seoul Economic Daily.

South Korea has said it would share a COVID-19 vaccine with the North, but Pyongyang has ignored offers of cooperation.