South Korea on Wednesday approved the country's first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years or older.
In clinical trials involving some 4,000 participants in South Korea and five other countries, SK Bioscience’s two-dose SKYCovione vaccine appeared to be more effective than the broadly used AstraZeneca shots in building immunity against infections, officials at South Korea’s Food and Drug Safety Ministry said.
“The approval (of SKYCovione) internationally confirms the abilities of our companies to develop COVID-19 vaccines,” Food and Drug Safety Minister Oh Yu-kyoung said in a briefing.
Adding She said SK Bioscience is seeking approval from the World Health Organization for its shots, which would potentially open export opportunities.
The country reported 10,463 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, its first daily increase of over 10,000 in 20 days.
Health Ministry official Son Youngrae said during a separate briefing it’s too early to tell whether the country is facing another surge after a months-long downward trend.